Don't Wake Me From My Nightmare
by Slomiti Andeo
Summary: Asraella Mistout is a new student at Cross Academy, transferring from the United States. As she slowly immerses herself in her new school and culture, she is drawn to the mysteries of the night class and specifically to Zero Kiryu.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all, this is a first for me, specifically the first fanfic...well...ever. But there always has to be a first, right? **

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything Vampire Knight, anything else that is referenced, or any other characters besides Asraella herself. If I did, though...man, that would rock..._

**summary: Asraella Mistout **_(As-ray-ella Miss-toe) _**is a new student at Cross Academy, transferring from the United States. As she slowly immerses herself in her new school and culture, she is drawn to the mysteries of the night class and specifically to Zero Kiryu. Why does she feel this way, and why did she leave the States in the first place? **

Asraella walked slowly down the bridge connecting the Day class's dorms to the main school building, keeping her eyes on the ground and her pace brisk. She thought about where she was, and how far away it was from everything she'd left behind. "Damn".

"What?"

She nearly jumped a foot in the air, and lamented her lack of observational skills. She had a habit of cursing to herself, but normally kept her mouth clean around others. _Well, that's one impression ruined, right? _She looked up and almost jumped again. Directly to her left stood a tall, silver haired teen with clear violet eyes giving her a direct, blunt look. It was more than a bit of a shock. His eyes…seemed to beg someone to discover their depths while at the same time threatening death to anyone who tried. To be honest, it shook Asraella badly. She stuttered as she tried to formulate a reason for her exclamation: "I-I-I ju-just was wondering how I'm going to find my way to the chairman's office. This place is huge!" The blank look continued. "Straight ahead down the hall, then up 2 flights of stairs and it is the only office door there". He turned and walked away, back ramrod straight and pace even more brisk than hers had been. "Thanks?" she mumbled, "Who ever you are." She started walking forward again. She wasn't looking around, but she was sure that that guy was the first person she'd seen all morning.

She followed his directions; taking her time through the Gothic stone building as the sun's light crept slowly along its walls from the many large windows. It was beautiful…but it was a classic beauty, not a functional beauty. Her house back in the States was nicer…not bigger, or made of stone, but beautiful nonetheless. She stopped and looked out one of the windows along the hallway to the stairwell. She watched the light strike the trees, and cast flashes, like sparkles, from the minuscule drops of dew resting on the leaves. The water in the distance was reflecting the pale morning light like a mirror, and it became a mirror in her mind. In it reflected the people she had left, the people she had drowned in her memory. She wanted to go home, but wasn't sure how.

_Wake up! You're here now…make the most of it! This is the best place you can be right now!_ She had to mentally shake herself to clear the nostalgia from her brain. She started walking again. She found the stairwell, and went up the two floors as the strange teen had said. There was a door at the top of the stairs, labeled "Chairman". _Well, that's obvious enough…so where were the signs to get here? _She mentally berated herself with her own sarcasm (a heady vintage, to be sure) as she mindlessly checked what she was wearing for the umpteenth time this morning, since putting it on. Her hands brushed the dark short skirt with the white lines, and straightened the cuffs on the jacket that sported the same pattern. Her unease became more pronounced. She didn't like the uniform—it showed too much skin. Back home, she didn't even wear shorts unless it was at least 90 degrees, and even then not outside the house. She felt that she didn't do this uniform justice. _This outfit was not made for me. I so totally look fat in this…I mean, this is crazy! At least the jacket's fitted, or I'd look like I was a hippo in a trash bag_. Assured that she was as put together as she was ever going to be, she prepared to knock on the door. Breathing in, she tapped lightly on the frosted glass and waited.

"Come in, please."

She turned the doorknob, for some reason preoccupied by the mission to not create any sound while doing it, and slowly pushed the door open with the same sense of care. Focusing on something she could directly control was soothing. She opened the door partway, and stepped in sideways, then shutting the door as she moved aside. "Good morning."

The man with long, ash blond hair and glasses looked up at her and no recognition registered in his eyes. _Why should it? I'm new_.

"Good morning. And you are…?"

"Oh, I'm very sorry, I'm Asraella Mistout, um, the—"

"Right, right! The new student. I'm so sorry I wasn't prepared for your arrival."

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry. I tend to arrive early to everything."

"I was going to send Yuuki to meet you at the gate to the main building, but I never got around it. I should be the one apologizing. This campus can be a maze." The Chairman reached for a pile of papers on his desk and gave her a smile. "Please, don't be uncomfortable. Take a seat. We have a few things to discuss before you attend your first classes today."

She slid into a chair placed in front of the desk, sitting very straight and at the edge of her seat. Part of her was mindful of the way her skirt fell on her thighs, and a hand distractedly flattened a panel of fabric that was immaculately ironed; another part of her mind followed every move the Chairman made, and watched as he pulled a rather large manila folder out of a stack and opened it in front of him. He returned his gaze to her.

"I'm sorry again, that took a while. Desks can get cluttered so easily!" His smile and tone indicated that he meant it as a funny comment, so she smiled back and gave what she thought was a small laugh. She realized after that it probably sounded more like a "huh" not a "ha". Goddamn her habit of not thinking everything through! She should have fully laughed. The chairman was talking again.

"…wonderful that you decided to join us here at cross academy. We are a proud institution with extraordinarily high standards, and on behalf of this school I want to thank you for coming. I was shocked to see the credentials you came with, and am excited to see where you will go while you are here. The schedule you picked out, however, confused me. You wrote down a concentration in literature, correct?"

"Yes, sir, I did."

"Yes, well, I noticed a distinct variation from that and I was wondering if you created your schedule like that on purpose, or if we should switch your classes around."

"I did, sir. I'm aware that my selected classes vary from my concentration, but I feel that they are necessary, and sir, to be honest, 'Literature' is so broad a spectrum that almost any topic will eventually fit into it or become an asset."

That garnered a smile. "Very true, very true. Well, on to the policy and campus life sort of things. Here is the handbook and list of policies for Day class students, and you should read those within the next week, then return the last page to this office signed by then, to show that you agree with the stuff included. Some things I'd like to point out: the Day class should be off the grounds by 5 p.m., and should not return until 6 a.m. the next morning, under any circumstances. Also, going to the Night Class dorms is strictly prohibited, at all times. Both of these rules are for your safety, you understand; because this is a boarding school, the insurance…well, we try to keep you on a tight reign. To enforce these rules, we have 2 prefects that will be patrolling in the evening and whenever they are not in classes. You will recognize them by—"

The door slammed open, and a shorter, brunette, skinny girl stood in the doorway obviously fuming. Behind her placidly stood the teen from this morning, eyes as blunt as she'd seen before. The girl was obviously trying to put her frustration into words, by the way her shoulders were moving and she appeared to be gathering herself for some sort of outburst. The chairman, with a wry smile, grabbed his chance. "Ah, Yuuki, I was about to send for you. I want to introduce you to our newest student, Asraella Mistout, from the United States. Asraella, this is Yuuki, my daughter and a prefect, and behind her is Zero, the other prefect." It was like a light switch was flipped in the girl named Yuuki. She smiled warmly and said to Asraella, "Hello. It's nice meeting you!" Asraella returned the pleasantries, smiling. _Yuuki can be rather disarming._ At that moment, her cell phone went off. Embarrassed, Asraella pulled her phone out of the pocket of her jacket and silenced it. She felt her ears get hot. How stupid was she? Not turning off her phone? Ugh! Yuuki laughed. "From the States, right? Well, someone back there sure wants to talk to you!" Yuuki was smiling, but Asraella's face became a mask. Her smile was fake, and her eyes went blank. A split second later, she snapped out of it, and hoped no one noticed her sudden lack of enthusiasm over this new situation. Looking around, it appeared that no one did.

What she didn't see was the flicker of something behind Zero's eyes.

She was following the two prefects down the stairs away from the Chairman's office, listening to their incessant light bickering. It was obvious that Yuuki didn't understand Zero's take on something, and Zero was declining to further enlighten her on his reasons. It wasn't mean, and to Asraella, it seemed as if this was the way the two normally interacted; the argument held no barbs, no pain-laden phrases intended to kill the victim's soul. It was almost pleasant. They were on the way to class, ending up here after the Chairman informed her that her first class was economics. Yuuki jumped into the discussion and said that her and Zero's first class was economics as well, so they would walk her there. She was grateful for the help, but also kind of wanted to find her way herself; she caved immediately when she realized that Yuuki was so excited at the prospect. Upon leaving, Yuuki had received instructions to hand her off to "Yori" after econ, and that this person would lead her around for the rest of the day. So they came to here, walking to her first class as a Cross Academy student. She zoned out after realizing the gist of Zero and Yuuki's discussion and went back to surveying her surroundings. She had already looked at this hallway, so she focused on the pair walking in front of her. Yuuki was in the same outfit as she was, the dark, lined skirt and jacket. Her brown hair and eyes were lustrous, and not in any way closed. Zero was much taller than Yuuki, and wore the same pattern clothing only as a suit. His grey hair and violet eyes were sere, and stable. Deep, but like ice on a lake, covered, contained. As Yuuki went from excited to angry to depressed during the play argument, her stance and eyes would change, showing exactly what she felt; Zero's stance and eyes would never change no matter what was said. They both wore armbands with the Cross Academy emblem on them, which must have been their sign of being prefects. As Asraella and the prefects approached the classroom, both of them slipped the armbands off and put them in their pockets. She realized that during class hours they were not prefects, and so probably didn't want to advertise the fact. It made sense. Why draw attention to yourself if you don't have to? As the door opened to the first class of the day, and Asraella went through it following Yuuki and Zero, she repeated this realization to herself; she hoped it would stick.

_Why draw attention to yourself if you don't have to?_

**Hey, thanks for reading. Again, this is a first-time thing, so if you like (or if you don't...I can take criticism very well) please review. This is intended to be a longer story, and I will continue ASAP, but I'm a college student, so...okay, it might take awhile. The ideas exist, however, and I will try to get them into my computer as fast as I can. Hope you enjoyed this little chapter! Slomiti Andeo **


	2. Puzzle Pieces

**Hi again! I wanted to thank the reviewers of my first chapter (and truly, thank you! You were all so nice! :D ), and I wanted to give a bit of an intro to this chapter: Its the first class of the day, and the readers get a small hint at the reason Asraella left the States, as well as a clue as to Asraella's background. Also, I hate to describe characters while I'm using their POV, so I attempted to write something from Zero's perspective, in order to give a picture of what Asraella looks like to everyone else. I apologize if there is a tone change or something...it was noticibly harder to write from his POV, so I probably won't do it often.** **I hope this meets with reader satisfaction!!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything Vampire Knight. As much fun as that would be, I only own Asraella._

Economics was extremely boring. So boring, in fact, that Asraella was now completely ignoring the professor at the front of the room and was immersing herself in thought, of things in a different time and a continent away. This economics classroom was different from the old one, with different classmates, and a different teacher, different…

_Don't go there!_

…friends.

_Oh God…_

Friends.

_Please…_

Everyone. They were still friends, right? They had no reason not to be. They hadn't seen her run, through sheets of rain…They would stay happy and never…never…

Asraella's breathing accelerated. She was locked into a seat in the movie theater of her brain, but was closing her mental eyes to the memory images in front of her. The pain didn't recede, however, and subconsciously she knew she didn't expect it to. So she sat, in emotional and mental agony while running from her thoughts, only avoiding the source of her incessant pain.

A pair of violet eyes snapped her out of her mental reverie, bringing her back to the sanitized present, staring back at her with their blank but deep expression. _Oh god was I staring at Zero? Christ, I didn't mean to! What is he going to think of me now…the crazy transfer? Great._ As she was turning away, she noticed that several people were looking at her. In fact, more than several. The whole class must have been focused on her. Asraella looked back at Zero, and noticed that something like humor appeared in his face. She was confused. _Why is he—_

"Miss Mistout, I repeat, could you come to the board and do problem 46?"

The professor didn't sound amused. Asraella dragged her gaze from Zero, and balefully noticed that he now had a certain little facial expression. She didn't know what to make of that look. _Whatever. Problem 46…_

She glanced at her book and read the assigned problem. "Yes sir, I'm sorry." She looked at the book again to verify what the question was. Simple prediction of curve shifts, the sort of thing that would be in the first month of teaching the course, not halfway through the semester. She sighed. She had to set herself apart already for a useless problem. She stopped herself right there. _Why am I frustrated? It's not useless. Show the class what you are made of. Good attitude…good attitude…Stand up, look sharp. Take 'em by storm._ Her attempt to settle herself sounded hollow even in her head. _Oh well_.

She was walking down the stairs of the aisle in the center of the lecture hall. Asraella felt as if she was walking out onto a large stage, in front of the audience of her new classmates. Unintentionally she started slipping into a familiar sense of acting, the feel of a mask settling over her, and fitting to her. By the time she reached the floor, her head was held high, eyes bright, and wearing a slight smile. The professor handed her a piece of chalk with a superior expression, and stepped back, obviously enjoying his perceived chance at harassing the new student. His attitude didn't even faze Asraella. She turned to the board standing tall, and began the problem. Ten seconds later it was finished, and she turned to the professor again, who stood beside her with a properly chastised demeanor. She turned sharply but smoothly and proceeded back to her seat. Every eye was looking at her; many of them with puzzled or amazed faces, but almost all turned back to the professor as he cleared his throat and praised her for her impeccable work. Asraella never heard it. She had come out of her mask, her show, as she had reached her seat. Thinking about what she had just done, how she had just felt, made her sick at her core, in her soul. As teaching resumed, she put her head down and swore to herself she would not cry, not here. The person worth crying over was long gone.

Zero wasn't paying attention to the class at all. He was napping with his eyes open, as usual. Economics was so basic: all you had to know was the common denominator, the running theme in all human behavior. This theory, in a nutshell, was that people will act in their best interests. Everything, every analysis, came back to that, in his opinion. Besides, he was tired. Even though he wasn't getting as tired as quickly as Yuuki (for various reasons), the all-hours double duty as student and prefect – in reality a Guardian of the Day Class students from the filthy Night Class – could be rather exhausting. It couldn't be helped. He was a hunter, even as he was now. He would run himself into the ground to fulfill his duty, which did not necessarily coincide with the Chairman's duty for him, as Guardian. The sudden impact of a paper ball hitting his head woke him up, making him blink and shake his head slightly as he worked to remove the cobwebs from his mind and return moisture to his eyes. He peered around to discover who the thrower was, and was unsurprised to discover Yuuki, sitting two rows down and looking up at him with her tongue stuck out. He gave a tiny sigh. She just had to go and disturb his nap, didn't she? He looked away, deciding not to gratify her with any sort of response. He knew that it would get on her nerves.

He started to look around the room, coming to rest on the new girl, who was sitting at about his 2 o'clock position, towards the right edge of his vision. She was staring at him, with her chin on her hand. Used to winning the normal staring contests between students, he stared right back with his standard apathetic expression. She didn't look away, or show any sort of recognition. He was puzzled.

She was sitting level with him, in the back row. Something about her seemed off, besides her apparent lack of conscious thought, and he couldn't put a finger on why. He felt compelled to take a second, true look at this new student. His eyes examined the rest of her face.

W_hat…._

Her face was neutral, a blank mask. Her eyes were the only aspect of her form that held some sort of life, and it was hidden, somewhere within their depths. He realized, with a pang of some emotion he couldn't place, why she seemed different. The look from her wasn't seeing anything within that room; she was watching a different place, competing in a different arena and from his own experience, he knew that what she was witnessing in her head was worse than the goriest, most painful horror movie. He had seen that look before: in pictures of himself, from when he was taken in by the chairman until now, from the moment that his parents were murdered and his brother lost. Somewhere in his being that emotion he couldn't name grew stronger.

He was awoken from his analysis by the Professor asking the new girl if she would come to the board. There was no response from her. _She can't hear him. She's completely zoned out._ The professor repeated himself, this time at least 2 times louder. By this point, the whole class was watching what must have appeared to them to be her complete disregard of the teacher. The second request for her attention was met by a sudden start from her, and a blink. Zero watched as she "came to" in a second, and the next realized that she was staring straight at him. Her obvious embarrassment amused him. _Caught off guard, she looks just like…_ She looked away quickly and glanced around the room, then answered the professor and looked at the problem. He watched as she almost imperceptibly winced as she noticed that everyone was staring at her. This was quite entertaining to Zero for some reason. She turned to look at him again, and then she turned away just a little too quickly.

He went to look away as well, but a small movement from the transfer student brought his head back around. In the split second he looked away, she seemed to start to morph into another person. She stood straighter, and he realized that her abrupt posture change was the movement he noticed. She had a new cast to her eyes, and the torture he thought he had seen there vanished. She proceeded to walk down the lecture hall's center aisle, and with every step she changed a little more. By the time she reached the floor, she was standing perfectly straight, with a smile and bright, happy eyes. Her gait was more fluid, and her body seemed positioned to catch the eye, with the lines of the jacket and skirt accentuating her natural form. It was a stunning transition, and Zero was certain that Yuuki must have thought so too. A quick glance down confirmed his suspicions. Yuuki was sitting there staring at the new student, looking quite flabbergasted. No one else seemed to have noticed her change, perhaps because none of them had seen her this morning in the Chairman's office. The transfer student finished the problem very quickly and just as gracefully and regally as she had come down, she started returning to her seat. Zero couldn't stop looking at her. It was as if the zoning out was a charade -- or was this the charade? He couldn't tell. Both had him believing. He was confused, and he didn't like it. Was she playing a game? Is her whole persona, the whole thing, an act? He hadn't thought much about her as a person, since he had only first seen her today, but now he wanted to know more, just to understand what was really going on. His mind was swirling, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. He saw as she put her head down, and the puzzle only gained more pieces. He forcefully put her actions from his consciousness. Her puzzle was low on his list of problems to get to the bottom of.

The bell rang and Zero slipped out the door before the other students could even rise. Yuuki would surely look for him, with her misguided worry high in her mind, but she was used to his quickness and would probably catch up within the hour, no matter where he went. So he started to walk to the stables, a holdover from an earlier era and used only by the equestrian team. He knew from experience that hardly anyone came by there during class hours. He was fully intending to skip calculus, the class he had at the next block. He knew it all, anyway.

The sun was shining, a breeze was shimmying through the braches of the trees, causing little whistles, and leaves were falling like overgrown snowflakes. _Late October is so beautiful here. _Zero paused and appreciated the sight, something he very rarely did. The breeze played with his hair and blew it even more into his face. The moment was broken as he wiped his hair from his eyes and proceeded to the barn.

Once there, he hid himself in a stall and tried to get some sleep. He was now counting the minutes until Yuuki came to find him and harass him about skipping. His thoughts wandered over the day's events so far. He recollected the first time today he ran into the new student…_Asraella. Odd name. _He was distracted by wondering about how she fit into Cross Academy. She didn't stand out. He had thought she was a regular, matriculated student until he saw her in the Chairman's office. Her face swam into focus within his mind's eye.

She was taller than many of the girls at Cross Academy, but not abnormally so, probably about 5'5". She wasn't as thin as the other girls here, either. She had more to her, a more curved and full body that almost made the uniform indecent. Her round face was accentuated by sapphire eyes and a picture perfect mouth, symmetrical and full. She was pale, but not deathly so. Her dark blonde hair fell to the middle of her back in a braid, and in that morning's early sun it had looked like it had red highlights.

The mentioned morning (it actually seemed relatively long ago, for only being that day) he was headed back to the boy's dorms to change his uniform, after taking a VERY early morning patrol. He couldn't sleep. He refused to admit to himself why he couldn't. He had caught the scent of blood on the air, and rushed to it, almost hoping to find a Night Class student breaking the edicts set up by the school and Kaname Kuran, so that he could vent some frustration and possibly do some damage to any disgusting vampire that got in his way. When he had arrived to where he thought it was coming from, however, there was just her, walking along with her head down towards the main building before anyone else was on campus. _What student would want to be at school at 7 a.m.? _He approached her from the side, still convinced that he smelled blood, but it was relatively faint, and couldn't be coming from her. She was perfectly fine. He was about to slip away unnoticed when she cursed aloud, and he answered her. She had obviously not realized he was there, due to the way he saw her jump. She stuttered when she replied to him, and was visibly uncomfortable. It was to be expected. Zero could do that to people.

Zero was roused from his hiding place and brought back to the present as Yuuki entered the stable. _Damn. That had to be a new record, _he thought grimly. _Time to find a new place._ He turned to face the diminutive brunette.

"Zero, why aren't you in Calculus?!"

**Thanks for reading! I hope I didn't dash anyone's hopes or cause some eye-rolling or anything... If you still want to stick with this story, the third chapter should be up within a week. Again, thank you! Please review, I can always use pointers! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo**


	3. Nothing Changes for Forever

**Hi all! This is chapter three of my first fanfic ever, and I want to thank the reviewers that have commented so far for their time and attention. Notes on this chapter: There is a dream scene, so have fun reading into it however you like. Also, there is some breaks in time, which to be honest I did not enjoy writing -- I prefer to keep the moments in time separate, because each has an individual purpose...but that's beside the point. So just FYI, the next chapters may be extraordinarily short, but I'll post multiple ones at a time to make up for it. Thank you!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything Vampire Knight. I only own Asraella, and now the other person that is mentioned briefly in a large paragraph later on, of whom I cannot elaborate just yet..._

* * *

The bell rang for the end of economics, and Asraella didn't move. To be honest, she wasn't even aware the bell had rung. Her head was still down on her desk, and everyone started to walk by her in the direction of their next class.

"Um, Asraella, are you alright?"

Asraella lifted her head to see a small short haired brunette gazing inquisitively at her, with concern evident on her face.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you."

"I'm Sayori Wakaba, but everyone calls me Yori. I've been asked to hang out with you today and help you around campus. I think we have the same schedule, and that's why I was picked and not someone else."

Asraella was astonished by the simplicity and untainted goodwill that she thought Yori was expressing. _You don't see that in many people. She's probably going to be really nice to work with for a while._

"Ok, so does that mean that both of us have Early European History next?"

"Yup! Let's go. The breaks between classes are never long enough here." Yori gave Asraella a smile and stepped to the side of the aisle so that she could get out. Together they proceeded out of the lecture hall and towards the rest of the day.

* * *

"I'm so sorry about the way the econ professor treated you," Yori stated during lunch. The morning had gone well, after the near disaster of economics, and now she was discussing the events that occurred in detail during classes. Asraella was finding out that Yori was a wonderful person to be around in general, and was greatly enjoying her company.

"Oh, it was nothing. I didn't hear him and made him repeat himself. I probably deserved what I got."

"Not really. He enjoys picking on new students. I'm glad you put him in his place though. How did you know how to do that problem so quickly? I couldn't even follow your calculations and graphs while you were up at the board."

"I just had a great teacher at my old school, is all. I learned most of the topics in that class back in September." _Just the teacher, I had an awesome teacher. Breathe, Asraella, breathe!_

"Are you okay? You have a funny look on your face. You didn't look too good after Econ, either. Do you want to not go to your afternoon classes? I don't think any of the teachers would mind."

"No, that's okay. I'm fine. I was just thinking of something. If you didn't understand the problems in Econ, I'd be more than willing to give you some help, if you'd like."

"Really? That would be great! Here, on this part of the short answer number 2…"

* * *

Asraella's afternoon was spent with Yori, going to classes and learning the layout of the buildings. As the day drew to a close, Asraella followed her back to the Day Class's dorms, looking forward to moving into her room. Since she was a transfer so late in the semester, she had a single room, but she didn't know where it was. As they walked closer to the girls' dorm entrance, she queried Yori as to where her room was. "Um, Yori, could you tell me the best way to get to my room?"

"Sure. What's the room number?"

"474, I think."

"Ooh, you're so lucky! The fourth floor is the top floor, and it has the best view. Your room is an even number too, so you'll face the school. I'm sure it's so pretty at night. Could I come up and look out your window sometime?"

Asraella laughed, and truly felt it. She hadn't really laughed at something in a while.

"Sure. What, don't you have a window?"

Yori smiled back. "No, I have a window, but I'm only on the second floor. I can't see anything from there! Anyway, to get to your room you go up the stairs on the other end of the building to the top, and it will be on your right somewhere along the hallway. I go up to my room from the stairwell on this side. Have fun moving in! Maybe Yuuki and I will drop by. Would you mind?"

"Not at all. Come up whenever."

"Awesome! Okay then, bye!"

Yori went forward into the large foyer first, and Asraella followed. Yori went straight towards a large central staircase, and Asraella took a left down the hallway leading to rooms on the ground floor. She went to the end of the hallway, and found the stairs that Yori mentioned. _Well, it's nothing like the nice central staircase!_ The stairs were narrow and dim, but because they were all the way on the end of the building, windows let in light to them. In the fading twilight, they were bathed in a pale glow. She started climbing, and reached the fourth floor quickly. At the top, she realized that she was breathing heavily. _I guess I'm not as fit as I thought I was!_ She started down the hallway and came upon her room almost immediately. Hers was the corner room of the building, on the top floor. _Man, what did I do to luck out like this?_ She put her new key into the lock and it clicked open with a little effort. The lock was evidently older, or at least needed some maintenance. She opened the door farther and stepped into her new room, her new sanctuary.

The first thing she noticed was the windows. She stood amazed in her doorway, looking out of the paned glass toward the main school building, which was almost something out of a story. The top of the walls and main hall were lit up by the sun, and it reminded her of a Disney castle, beautiful and in harmony with the land it rested on. She had never seen anything that struck her as so…picture perfect. She left the door standing open as she moved in the direction of the window, stopping as her outstretched hand touched the cool glass. The sunset threw golden yellows and reds in her direction from behind the school, and her room stood in the school's long evening shadow. Asraella leaned against the window, and stumbled forward as it moved. _Whoa! I didn't expect that!_ She let the window fall open even more, and the combination of the open door and window created a draft that pulled the chill evening air across her face. It was perfect, simply perfect. She wanted to tell someone, anyone. She wanted to share this experience. With a jolt, she was brought back to the reality that there was no one to share it with. Tears sprang to her eyes and she fought them back, struggling against them as hard as any knight. How May would have loved to see this! With that, her composure failed, and alone in a dark room, her knees gave out and she crumpled to the floor, sobbing. She stayed there as the last vestiges of light vanished below the horizon.

* * *

She was running. She knew she had to get to someone, help someone, but she didn't know who or where they were, only that they were important. She sprinted blindly ahead. "Hello? Who is it? Where are you?" There was no response, only this desperate feeling that someone was crying, someone was in need. She wanted to help! Where were they? She kept running, her chest burning from the exertion and her legs shouting at her to stop. She slowed to a walk, upset with herself that she couldn't keep running, but preoccupied with her own needs. She was panting. "Please…give me…a second…I'm coming…" Still, there was no answer, and no decrease in the intensity of feeling she was picking up. Lights struck her face, brilliant and focused on her. She looked up to where she thought they were coming from, only to see a bar of stage lights above her head. Screaming brought her head back down, and she started running again, straight ahead, toward the sound that seemed to rip out her heart. After only a few steps, she felt nothing below her front foot, and fell back hurriedly to the ground, anxious not to fall over, into nothingness that seemed endless. She yelled out to the voice that was still screaming. "Please, please, what's wrong? I can't see you! I can't make it to you! Please, stop! Please, I want to make it better! PLEASE!" By the end, she was screaming, and she had drowned out the other being's voice. Abruptly she realized that the other person had stopped, but the pressing need to get to them hadn't ceased. "He-hello?" What was this sense of foreboding? She was filled with dread. She hauled herself to her feet, and called out again. "Hello? Are you okay?" The stage lights swung away from her, towards a spot only a little ahead. They came to rest on "her". She was lying in a pool of blood, her blond hair soaking up the red liquid streaming around her. Asraella launched herself over the edge in front of her, unaware of the drop she was so worried about before, with a knowledge that something was horribly, horribly wrong. With a thud, she hit the ground close to the girl. She reached the prone figure, and threw herself to her knees, pulling the girl into her arms. Her face was not visible, covered by her hair. Asraella looked over her, and stopped at her wrists. It became clear then. The blood was hers, from wounds she inflicted upon herself. With shaking hands and tears in her eyes, she pulled the hair from the face of the girl in her arms. Familiar eyes stared sightlessly at her. She started screaming.

* * *

Asraella woke up sobbing, just as she had fallen asleep.

_ Oh God, why? Why again? Why show this to me as often as you do?_ She ran her fingers through her hair as she regained her composure. _It's time to go to school._ The return of a routine was welcome, and she forced herself off the floor, over to the boxes that she hadn't noticed when she walked in the night before. She opened one of them, and found her bedding and towels, one of which she grabbed to wipe the moisture off her face. She tried another box, and this time found her extra uniform. She then turned and shut her door. She changed quickly and picked up her book bag that lay discarded on the floor, untouched since the last class yesterday. She stumbled out and headed to class, even though she would be more than an hour early. She knew that Yori would be waiting for her in the dining hall, but she couldn't bring herself to go. She wasn't hungry, and she wanted to stay by herself. Normally she'd be a little worried about Yori and how she'd feel about being stood up, but this morning, after a repeat of the dream, Asraella was emotionally dead. Her emotional consciousness was hibernating, and she couldn't even work up the necessary feeling to care about her lack of feeling. Her analytical side knew that it would take her most of the day to process and become "normal" again, as normal as she was anymore. She walked to the main building as fast as she could without running, leaving the rest of her classmates behind her.

She reached her classroom only to find out that the door was locked. _Why would the front door be open if the classrooms weren't?!_ She knew she was being needlessly vindictive, but she didn't care. She just wanted class to start. She leaned against the wall next to the entrance and let her head fall so her chin rested on her chest.

"Asraella, what are you doing here so early?" Yuuki sounded mildly scandalized. Asraella thought that it probably seemed very odd to the girl why anyone would be at school so early, but it wasn't weird to her at this point. She raised her head to look Yuuki dead in the eyes. The pair of brown eyes widened.

"It's not that early". She was blunt, and delivered the line in a monotone. Yuuki took a small step back, and Asraella immediately felt some regret at distressing Yuuki, but she didn't stop staring at her or give her any more of an answer than that. A dark clothed figure stepped in front of Yuuki and Asraella looked farther up, seeing that it was Zero. His face was granite, and anger was evident in his unmoving features. "What?" she delivered in the same monotone.

"Cut it out."

Asraella didn't answer; she just laid her head back against the wall. "You mean, 'be nice'. I'm sorry, but this morning wasn't so great. I'm finding that 'nice' is hard to summon right now."

Yuuki poked her head around Zero, and shoved him aside a little. "What happened?"

"It's nothing. I'm sorry."

"But—"

"Yuuki, she obviously doesn't want to talk to you. Leave her alone." With that, Zero walked away, leaving Yuuki gaping open-mouthed at Zero's back. "And just leave..." She gave Asraella one last searching look, and finding nothing there, not one crack to work her way into, she turned and ran after Zero. Asraella sighed as Yuuki left. _Great. Good work. You've pissed off more people. Goddamn it. _

She used the encounter as something to think about, to pass time until the door was unlocked. Yuuki had seemed tired. There were bags under her eyes, and her uniform was wrinkled. Was that part of being a prefect? Zero, on the other hand, actually looked like he was on the ball. If not for the anger she'd evidently caused, Asraella would have been willing to say that he looked almost chipper, with the tiniest spring in his step, an uncommon shine to his eyes. Maybe Yuuki was on duty and Zero got a full night's sleep? That might make sense. Now that she thought of it, she also noticed that Yuuki had a bandage on her neck. _Weird. How did she get that?_

Asraella focused on random things around her, trying to pass the time and not let her mind wander. The sun was climbing up the walls, slowly warming the stone around her. She could hear the almost constant breeze whistling through the trees and pillars outside, but no birds. In fact, she realized that she had never heard birds around the building. She moved on to her next thought.

After a couple of minutes of this she started to sense that someone was looking at her. She stood up from leaning against the wall and looked around, peering down the hallway on either side of her. The feeling disappeared, and Asraella thought no more of it. About ten minutes later, a janitor came to unlock the door to the room, and Asraella went in and sat down. She put her head down and prepared herself for another day at school.

**Okay, that was it! I hope it was alright. Thank you for reading, and if you feel pulled to do so, please review! TTFN Slomiti Andeo**


	4. Fear of Violet and Glimpse of Green

**whew Well, it's here: the longest chapter I've written to date. I want to thank my reviewers who have been so kind and very subtly let me know to pretty much get on with it and get to the action of the story. I am getting there, so don't worry. This chapter begins it, and I can tell you that within the next three chapters some serious stuff is going to hit the fan! Oh, and a memo about this chapter: THIS IS STILL A ZEROxOC STORY. DO NOT RUN IN FEAR WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF THIS. I know I'm leading in a different direction right now, but please, bear with me. Thank you again to all of my reviewers!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything Vampire Knight. I only own Asraella. (Having the rights to Vampire Knight would be awesome, though...I have to get on that...)_

* * *

Students started streaming in for class 5 minutes before the first bell of the day. They walked by her, the first few looking at her strangely but then taking their seats, and the rest ignoring her all together. After a while, the flow of bodies slowed to a trickle, and the teacher entered, walking down to the podium and taking out his notes and handouts for the class. Asraella still had her head down, but was listening to the movement around her in the class. Something touched her elbow. She pulled away, shifting away from the aisle so as not to get brushed again. Whatever it was touched her arm once more, and this time Asraella looked up and came face-to-face with Yori.

"Good Morning, Asraella. I'm sorry I couldn't meet up with you. I waited for you at breakfast but…"

Yori's demeanor shocked Asraella. She had stood Yori up, and Yori was apologizing? That made no sense. She started feeling guilty about leaving her hanging like that. _She doesn't deserve to be treated like that by me. I really shouldn't take my issues out on her._ She forced herself to smile apologetically. _Well, they say that smiling can improve mood. Let's test that_. "I'm so sorry, Yori. You shouldn't be apologizing. It's my fault I didn't show up. I hope I didn't inconvenience you too much."

"No, not at all. It is perfectly alright. Ready for another Economics class?" Yori smiled, and Asraella found her own smile widening. Her mood was improving, and another day at school didn't seem so insurmountable.

Economics passed quickly, Asraella was surprised to discover. Yuuki and Zero came in ten minutes late, and the professor didn't even look up. Fifteen wads of paper were thrown across the room, three of which were thrown by Yuuki at Zero. The professor had to ask students to "quiet down" six times, which were responded to by ubiquitous eye-rolling. There were five blondes in the class, not including herself, and 23 brunettes, along with one silver haired student (three guesses who). Twelve of the students wore glasses. Yes, economics passed relatively quickly. At the end, Asraella had to focus to think of even one thing the professor said.

Yori met up with Asraella after the bell rang and they walked to their next class. Yori was chatting animatedly, and interspersed her comments with questions for Asraella about her life in the United States. She answered quickly, and encouraged Yori to move on to other topics. Even though she was in a better mood, she knew how quickly that could change. They went to their morning classes and only stopped talking when bells signaled the beginning of the block.

Lunch arrived, and Yori and Asraella went to find someplace to sit in the courtyard that was situated in the center of the large school building. Yori pulled a bag lunch out of her backpack and looked expectantly at Asraella, who didn't pull a lunch out of her bag.

"You don't have lunch?"

"Oh, no. I'm not hungry."

Yori looked at her with doubt in her face. "Not hungry?" She put on a caricature of sternness. "Or did you forget to pick up a lunch this morning?"

Asraella chuckled a little. "I guess so. It's no big deal though, I'm really not hungry."

"Okay…are you sure you don't want some of mine?"

As tempting as her lunch looked, Asraella couldn't bring herself to impose on Yori. "Nope. I'm good."

"Well, if you say so…are you trying to keep your figure for the Halloween dance?" Yori was obviously grasping at straws, and was teasing her.

"Trust me, Yori, if I was hungry, I would eat. My stomach is more important than my figure. But, I have a question. What Halloween dance?"

Asraella watched as Yori's mouth dropped open and she spluttered for a few moments before she could answer. "You—you—you mean you haven't heard of the Halloween dance? It's awesome! I can't believe no one has mentioned it to you!"

"Well, I haven't talked to many people besides you, Yori. Why didn't you mention it?" Yori went on without noticing the subtle playful accusation, but gave Asraella an abashed glance.

"You'll need to get a costume, and some jewelry, and shoes...Luckily I still have to do some shopping for it, too, so you can come down with me—"

"Yori, hold it. Back that train up a second. I haven't said that I'd go yet!"

"Of course you're going! Everyone goes! It's one of the few times that the Day Class and Night Class can mix and mingle. No one misses it. You should go, if just to watch."

"Watch? Watch what?"

"The Night Class, of course. I'm not as crazy about them as some of the other girls in the Day class, but even I cannot deny they are possibly the best looking people I've ever seen."

"So what does that mean? I don't know your standards!"

Yori threw a crumb at her. "My standards, I am proud to say, are very high. And they are absolutely amazing looking." She smiled widely, and her voice dropped conspiratorially. "Hanabusa Aido especially." Her face grew red.

"Yori, is that a blush?" Asraella was laughing outright now. "I thought you said you weren't crazy about the Night Class!" Yori shrugged and started laughing as well. Asraella was enjoying herself, and appreciated the change.

"What about the night class?" Yuuki's voice broke through the fading laughter, bringing both girls' heads up. She was standing almost on top of them, with a small smile. Yori answered her. "Nothing really. I was just mentioning that they will be at the Halloween dance."

"Yes," Yuuki answered. Her smile became more pronounced. "They sure will."

Asraella noticed her pleasure. "What's going on with you at the dance, Yuuki?" She laughed, and Yuuki blushed a little.

Before she had time to answer, another person entered the conversation.

"They shouldn't even be there."

"Zero, they have every right to be there!" Yuuki made it sound like this was an old argument.

"Whatever."

Asraella was intrigued, and turned to Zero, who had finally come to a stop by Yuuki. She looked up at him from her spot on the ground, and he met her gaze, his violet eyes flat as they ever were. The breeze came from behind her and played with her hair, blowing it forward across her face. Jokingly, she stated, "What do you have against the Night Class, Zero? Did one of them disrespect you or something, Mr. Prefect?"

Zero's lip twisted into a deep scowl and it looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek. Something changed in his eyes, and Asraella unknowingly drew back a little. _What the hell? _He turned on his heel and left at a fast walk, almost a run.

When he had left her immediate area, Asraella took a deep breath and turned to Yuuki and Yori with confusion evident on her face. "What did I do? I was only joking." The two other girls almost fell over each other in reassuring her that she didn't say anything wrong, but their insistence told her that she had, indeed, said something very wrong. _What set him off like that? What is it I could have possibly said? _She thought about it, and decided that she didn't want to turn anyone against her so early in her time at Cross Academy. She rose quickly, and started in the direction Zero had gone.

"Asraella, where are you going?" Yori called to her, sounding confused, and slightly worried.

"I want to apologize to Zero. I'll be right back."

"But, you didn't even say anything wrong. You don't have to do that." This time, Yuuki responded, concern more evident in her voice than Yori's.

"I know, but I think I should. Bye!" She had to yell the last word as she started running. _Is the concern more for him or me? _She didn't know why she even had to ask that; obviously she had been the one to offend him, so Yuuki must be worried that she would make whatever the situation was worse. She dashed across the courtyard, down one of the long hallways of the old school building, and turned a corner to see Zero about ten feet ahead. She ran up to him and grabbed the edge of his jacket to slow him down. He was still walking at a pace that was almost a run. When she touched him, he spun around, breaking her grip. His eyes hadn't lost that certain aspect to them, which she could not name, and it scared her. She took a small step back. She rushed her apology, and stuttered a little bit. "Zero, I-I just wanted to apologize for what I said. I'm sorry." He started to turn around, and she reached to grab his jacket again, to maintain his attention. "I don't know—"

"Get Your Hands Off Me."

Faster than she thought possible, he had pulled away and shoved her back, making her fall, his hands connecting with her shoulders painfully. Her train of thought vanished as she sat sprawled on the hallway floor and looked up at him, trying to suppress the urge to move and somehow try to soothe her surely bruised body. As she looked into his flashing violet eyes, she felt as though she was a mouse, cornered by a very angry cat. She shuddered. He turned and started walking down the hallway again.

Asraella didn't move for a few seconds, letting the last seconds of the encounter play through her head again. What had she done? What had she said? Was it really all that horrible? She now felt that maybe she shouldn't have touched him. She only grabbed his sleeve. That didn't give him permission to _shove_ her, though, right? She moved to get up and hissed at the pain radiating through her upper body. It wasn't severe, but she knew that bruising was very likely, and her shoulders were sore already, which wasn't a good sign. She pulled herself to her feet and started walking back to the courtyard to rejoin Yuuki and Yori. They were probably wondering what she was up to by now.

It happened that Asraella didn't have to go far to find the two girls. They ran into her at the end of a hallway, and were headed in her direction. Both of them opened their mouths when they saw her, but Yori managed to start talking first, and Yuuki just looked on.

"Asraella! There you are. We wanted to come find you, since lunch is almost over. Also, because Zero can be kind of a jerk sometimes—hey, are you alright?"

Asraella realized that she had flinched a little at Zero's name, and instantly regretted it when Yori's face was clouded with concern. _What about him elicits this in me? Why am I so uncomfortable with him, but feel the need to apologize for a joking comment?_

"Yeah, Yori, I'm fine. I just slipped and fell on my way back. That's all. How much longer do we have for lunch?"

"About three minutes. I hope you didn't hurt yourself too badly. Do you want to go to the nurse?"

"No, I'm perfectly alright."

"Okay. Well, anyway, about the Halloween dance. Do you want to come into town with me this Saturday to go shopping?"

"Sure…but you still haven't convinced me that it's worth going yet." Asraella's weak attempt at humor somehow made Yori believe that everything was fine, and she resumed chatting as she had all morning. Asraella breathed a mental sigh of relief. She was still troubled, however, by Zero's behavior. She didn't understand how she could have gotten on his bad side so quickly, and she was more than a little upset by it. _Why am I upset? What is he to me, anyway?_

* * *

Zero got away as fast as he could without running. He knew it was futile until he got somewhere enclosed. How can anyone outrun a breeze? Actually, he thought he knew someone who could, and that frustrated him. Kaname Kuran. _I'm sure with his luck of the draw, damn pureblood, he could outrun a breeze. Goddamn him! _Another tendril of air moved the hem of his pants, and Zero held his breath. He must not lose control, not here. He ducked into the first open classroom he saw and shut the door, leaning up against it as though the air itself was some sort of invader that he could hold a door against. He took several deep breaths, and tried to clear his head. How dare she follow him like that? He gave up on controlling his breathing and it returned to normal. He had almost…no, don't consider that option. The scent of blood hung in his nostrils, creating a haze in his thinking that was tinged red and would not leave. _Again, I smell blood around her! What is going on? She's perfectly fine! This is the second time: I know it's her! _He tried to come up with reasons for her to constantly have an aura of blood, and skittered around the more feminine ones. Nope, definitely not that. He gave up after a few seconds of frantic thinking and relaxed. The air in here was clean, at least. He contemplated his own bloodlust. He had fed off Yuuki last night; shouldn't blood be less potent to him right now?

Fed. He shuddered at his own use of the word, which bounced around and echoed in his head, a million multiplied by a million times. He put his hands to his face and closed his eyes. God, he was a monster. Yuuki's face appeared in his mind's eye, her brown eyes filled with tears and her face filled with shock and pain. _Yuuki, why do you care so much? Why can't you see that I am not worth your worry and your help?_ She did not answer him, only stared at him with nothing but caring in her eyes.

Her face disappeared and was replaced with Asraella's, as he had seen her just minutes ago, with her hair blowing across her smile, sapphire eyes sparkling in the sunlight filtering into the courtyard. Even laughing, he saw something hidden in her eyes. Why did her face come to him now? He knew she would probably want answers, a reason, for his behavior. Her face changed to the expression she wore after he pushed her; he winced. She had been hurt. The look on her face, the fear in her eyes was evidence enough. It was his fault. Why did that bother him? He barely knew her, and he still held his doubts about her motives and what made her tick. If that was true, why did her expression make him so guilty? Why did he have to hurt everyone he knew?

* * *

That afternoon, Asraella got her first glimpse of the Night Class. Her playful jabs about Yori's standards for males had continued past lunch, and to prove herself, Yori took her to see the Night Class when they arrived on the main campus. So there they were, standing among a crowd of screaming, obsessed girls waiting for a group of nocturnal teenagers. Asraella didn't like it. She fidgeted, pulling her skirt down farther and adjusting her collar, until she finally said to Yori, "You really didn't have to actually show me, Yori. I could have waited for the dance." Asraella didn't like being part of a large crowd. _Funny…I could love being in front of one, but not in one…oh, irony. _Yori replied to her statement with. "Oh no, I definitely had to. You wouldn't shut up!" Her tone indicated that she meant it as a joke, but her face said that she didn't want to be there, either.

A commotion started in the back of the crowd, and Asraella looked around to determine the source, standing on her tiptoes to get a better view. Yori noticed her curiosity. "It's just Yuuki trying to send us all back to our dorms. We shouldn't be here, to be honest."

"Does she have any success?" Asraella tried to picture little Yuuki being forceful with a large crowd like this, and had some trouble.

"Not really. Most of the time, nobody leaves until Zero shows up." This declaration brought Asraella back to her eventful lunch break, and she looked down, trying to push the events from her head.

"So they respond to Zero, then?"

"Yes. Most of the girls around here really don't like him for that."

"I guess he's good at his job, then." This was delivered monotone. _No wonder…he could scare a stone…I bet he's not always that way, though. Wait—why would I care?!_

By this time, the commotion caused by Yuuki reached Yori and Asraella, and they willingly stepped aside to give Yuuki a break. Neither left, however. Asraella knew that even though both of them weren't crazy about being there, both wanted to see the Night Class. Yuuki then managed to get to the front, and was obviously trying to yell above the crowd, and disperse them, but no one was listening. After several minutes of this, Asraella wondered why Yuuki didn't just give up. What's the purpose? Not one person of the whole crowd was going to leave, she included, and Asraella had nothing but good wishes toward Yuuki. The tension in the air started to increase. Asraella felt it move through her, and she responded by becoming even more energetic herself. She jumped up and down once, and rocked up on her toes to look over the heads of everyone in front of her. It wasn't very hard. Yori noticed.

"What are you so excited about?"

"Dunno. I think the Night Class will be coming out soon, and I want to see!" She was talking faster, and not making eye contact with Yori while she was speaking.

Yori mumbled under her breath. "Now who's the eager one?"

Less than 30 seconds later, the massive doors leading to the Night Dorm opened slowly, and screams erupted from the ranks of girls gathered to greet the Night Class in the dim afternoon sun. Asraella pushed her way to the front, accidentally stepping on some toes and bumping into random girls, causing her shoulders to twinge painfully. She was in the front row as the first of the Night Class stepped out, and was hardly disappointed.

She couldn't believe her eyes. They were beautiful. Three girls came out first, all of them stunning. Asraella didn't pay much attention to them, however; she was much more preoccupied with the boys that came after them. Boys? No. These were men, and the difference was obvious, in the way they carried themselves and the way they walked. She was completely taken in, and pushed forward a little. Yuuki, whom Asraella had ignored until now, got in front of her.

"Everyone back to the day dorms! It is past Day Class curfew!"

Asraella didn't hear it. She was too busy watching. The first boy to come out had rough blonde hair that partially fell into his blue eyes. He had on a pleasant smile and welcomed the Day Class as though he was the main attraction. Asraella was confused by what he was doing, pointing at girls and making some sort of noise, but then understood that he was "shooting" them. _Oh how idiotic…_ Asraella didn't have time to process this image, however, because the second male of the night class stepped through the door.

Her eyes were glued to him immediately. He had a "soft" aura around him, in a way, seeming approachable and kind. Asraella had no evidence to back this up; she just felt it, rolling off this person in waves. She searched his face, stopping on his green eyes. He was talking with the first boy to come out, and then joined a short conversation with the three girls who had already left the Moon Dorm. She didn't want him to turn away. She kept her gaze locked onto his face, and fell into his eyes, whose green reminded her of a meadow, smooth and serene. He turned to look at the crowd, and his gaze met hers.

She thought her heart would jump out of her chest. He looked at _her._ He was standing there, staring at her as she was staring at him. She noticed that there was recognition in his face, as if he already knew who she was and was greeting a friend with just his expression. She was so immersed in looking that she didn't realize when the rest of the crowd had grown quiet, and it took her a moment to drag herself out of the inspection of the Night Class student's face to see why. Zero had entered the scene, and Asraella quickly dropped her eyes to the ground. _Now I wish I wasn't here...goddamn you, Zero. What did I do to piss you off? _ She slowly stepped backward, and let the other girls' pushing to the front carry her to the back of the crowd, where she stopped by Yori. She wanted to get out of here. "I've seen them, Yori, and I have to say that you have an excellent eye for men. Why don't we get out of here?"

"You and Zero had an issue didn't you?" God, she was perceptive!

"No! I mean, not really. I don't understand what I did to make him so upset, so I just want to leave." Asraella was fighting with herself. Yes, she wanted to leave so she didn't have to face Zero, but she wanted to look into those green eyes again. She wanted to ask Yori what Green Eyes's name was, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Yori would certainly think she was boy-crazy or something.

"Well, it's okay. Zero can be temperamental, so don't think you did anything personal. Let's head back and get dinner. Then we just have to talk about what costume to get you for the dance!"

Asraella agreed and they started to head back to the Sun Dorm to get dinner. As they were leaving, Asraella hitched her shoulders, grimacing at their soreness, and looked around. She could swear that she felt someone watching her.

* * *

As the voluptuous blonde left, green eyes followed her path, and the bearer of those eyes smiled as she disappeared from sight, a breeze bringing the sweet scent of her blood back to him.

* * *

Asraella was laying on her side in her bed, staring out her large windows at the main school building in the distance. The moon was nearing its peak, and it cast small shadows below the trees and darkened streetlamps. All she could see in her head were green eyes, and that knowing smile. She drifted to sleep with the strange boy in her mind. Even with him there, however, her nightmares returned, and she watched her recurrent nightmare once more, until she woke crying.

* * *

"There are rules which have been established that you cannot break."

"I know that, and be assured, no rules will be broken."

"I saw you, Takuma."

"I do not know what you saw, Kaname, but I assure you, nothing I do is a toe out of line."

* * *

**Thank you for reading!! I hope you liked it!! If you have suggestions or comments, please review! TTFN Slomiti Andeo**

* * *


	5. First Brush With the Unknown

**Hi again! I'm sorry I took so long to update compared to before, but for some reason I wrote both the new chapters as one, which made it take a lot longer...anyway. The story is really moving now, and I hope the plot developments meet with reader approval. I want to say thank you to my reviewers (who have been so nice) and everyone else who has read this little fantasy of mine.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. I'm not sure if I even own Asraella; she's been taking over lately...grumble...insubordinate OC's..._

HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI

The rest of the week flew by to Asraella. She spent most of her time with Yori, due to their schedules being the same. She was bubbly and engaging, allowing Asraella to sometimes briefly forget the things that brought her to Cross Academy in the first place.

Saturday morning arrived, and the sunlight that just barely sneaked in through the corner of her window woke Asraella at a much too early hour, in her opinion. _Why is it that the one spot that gets sun in the mornings has to be right where I am? I have got to rearrange._ She threw her legs over the side of her bed and withdrew them quickly as the soles of her feet brushed the cold floor. _I have to get slippers, too._ She gathered her courage and stood up, rushing over to her dresser to get some socks and the clothes for the day. She glanced up into the mirror as she rummaged through her drawer. Her long blonde hair was still in its braid, but the shorter pieces around her head had come loose, and were sticking every which way. Her eyes were clouded with sleep, but she couldn't miss the large red mark on half of her face where she had been laying on her pillow. Her large nightshirt, the only pajamas she wore, was twisted up around her torso, exposing her almost to the hip on one side. The other side would have been equal to it if not caught on the edge of a piece of gauze on her other hip. Her fingers brushed it lightly, and she lowered her eyes from the mirror, avoiding the accusations of her reflection. Asraella couldn't feel guilty anymore for it; she had lost the capacity to. The only person who probably wouldn't think she deserved her punishment was the one individual who had the most right to condemn her. She slammed her hands into the top of the dresser, curling her fingers inward until her nails almost broke the skin of her palm. Yes, she deserved it! She deserved every repetition of the dream, every ounce of pain this life could throw at her. She squeezed her eyes shut, determined not to let her emotions appear as tears. She had cried enough since coming here. She shook her head quickly and looked up again, regaining control of her own head. _God, I look horrific! Now what to wear…_ She focused her attention on something else.

This was the first day that she didn't have class, and so she wanted to wear something representative, something cool, for her first day outside of Cross Academy. It only added to the pressure that almost everyone else would also be in town that day. She returned her attention to the clothing in her dresser and picked out what she thought would be a cute outfit. Asraella changed quickly, and ran out her door still pulling on her top. She wasn't worried about being seen; the fourth floor, she had discovered, was virtually empty except for one girl at the very other end of the hallway, who Asraella never saw. She dashed down the steps of the smaller staircase, pausing for a second at the second floor, as she always did, to look out the windows.

There was a beautiful tree directly beyond it, and she loved to look out on her way to or from classes. The window frame set apart a scene that wouldn't look out of place on a postcard, with everything just right. Today, in the pale morning sunlight, the leaves had almost all fallen, and the dew from the nighttime hours coated the leaves that still clung to the branches, making it appear that the beads' slight weight was enough to pull the leaves down into the oblivion that was the ground, covered and created by their comrades-in-arms that had already given up their claim to their summer home. Asraella appreciated this, and then ran down the last flight of stairs, slowing to a walk in the hallway that led to the main foyer of the Girl's section of the Sun Dorm. She reached it only to discover the foyer was empty, and this gave Asraella a moment of doubt. _Did I read the time wrong? Am I crazy early, as usual, or is Yori late?_ She glanced at a grandfather clock, positioned against the far wall, and checked the time again. Ten minutes early. With this information, she went over to the foot of the large central staircase and sat on the bottom step, and waited for Yori to arrive.

She didn't have to wait for long. Within minutes Yori had come downstairs, and she greeted Asraella with a smile. "Good morning! Ready to go shopping?"

Asraella returned her smile with a dazzling one of her own. "Totally!"

The actual traveling into town was uneventful, but Asraella still thought it was a phenomenal experience. The town itself was pretty, with a rustic charm that mimicked the Cross Academy. Buildings had an older style of architecture, but all the modern amenities that a worldly student could ask for, including clothing stores, gift shops and other eclectic stores that anyone could spend hours in. After walking around the area a little bit, Asraella was still taken by the whole atmosphere. "Yori, this is awesome! It's…it's so perfect!"

Yori looked at Asraella oddly. "Um, Asraella, its just town…I don't see what you find so fascinating." Her tone was filled with confusion.

Asraella looked sheepishly at her, realizing that she was acting rather irrationally. "Well, Yori…" She took a deep breath. "My house back in the States is outside of town, and the town itself is nothing like this. I mean, here there's some sort of culture. Back home, everybody's spread out and there is no 'downtown' area. Just strip malls. School is really the only place to meet friends." Asraella lost her smile, and looked down. _And what friends we met, huh?_

If Yori noticed Asraella's change in demeanor, she didn't say anything. Instead, she caught sight of a pair of people across the street and started waving. "Look, Asraella! It's Yuuki and Zero!" Her enthusiasm visibly waned as she saw Asraella's expression forming. "I didn't expect them to be off campus today…" Asraella was frustrated, and slightly annoyed. Ever since that lunch period several days ago, she hadn't seen Zero except for flashes here and there, and he was always headed away from her. He was also skipping Economics in the mornings. During Zero's absence, however, Yuuki had been spending a lot of time with her and Yori. She had been getting more and more upset with the situation as time went on, and grew convinced that the reason she didn't see Zero was because he was avoiding her. She didn't like it. Yes, he had scared her, but in the aftermath, she discovered she was much more pissed off than truly frightened. The fact that he was staying away only strengthened the emotion. He had overreacted to a simple attempt to be civil, and now he was avoiding apologizing himself! The expression Yori had caught sight of was one of Asraella holding herself in check; she had tried to put her thoughts about Zero aside, but currently they were simmering just below the surface.

She didn't get to vent, however, because as soon as Zero and Yuuki saw Yori and Asraella across the street, Zero turned on his heel and went the other way. Asraella bit her tongue. She was not going to chase him down and slap him…yet. She still had remnants of her bruises from the last time she demanded his undivided attention. Instead, both she and Yori watched as Yuuki yelled after Zero, asking why he was leaving, and then flashed the two of them an apologetic smile as she ran after him. Asraella could barely hear Yori mumble something beside her.

"I really don't know why she entertains him. He can take care of himself, and we would have had more fun today than anything Zero's doing." It almost sounded as if Yori was pouting, and it was so out of character that Asraella looked at her, surprised. Yori continued in a normal tone. "Ok, so anyway. Let's start shopping for your costume! What do you want to be?"

"Um, well, I normally just shop for some really cool outfit and if it looks good, I make up some name for it that makes it a costume."

"Really? I'm not sure I understand. You just make up something?"

"Yeah. For example, two years ago I found an awesome green prom dress that I loved, but had no reason to buy, so I bought it and a pair of wings, making it a fairy costume. I usually do stuff like that."

"Oh, I get it! That's a really good idea. It guarantees that you'll look great in your costume!"

"I guess so. Do you have any great stores in mind that could fit the bill?"

"Hmmm…there's a consignment store about three blocks from here, and they have an amazing dress selection that is very affordable. Do you want to start there?"

"Sounds great!"

Yori set off down the street, and Asraella followed suit. They got to the store quickly, namely because the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped slightly, making the chill air become closer to outright cold. They rushed in, rubbing their arms and pushing windblown hair out of their faces. Yori did, at least. Asraella's hair was still in a neat braid, and so the wind didn't cause as much trouble. The front of the large store was filled with shoes, making Asraella stop and look. She loved shoes. She quickly glanced over them, and as she evaluated the heels, sneakers, and flats, she found herself thinking of how each pair would wear on a stage, how they would feel, how quickly they could be changed. She shook herself out of her musings. "That is behind me. I don't have time for this now." She looked up to see Yori at the other end of the store already, slowly climbing a set of stairs in the back. She rushed to meet her, and they both arrived at the top floor together. In front of them were racks and racks of formalwear, organized by color, size, and style. Asraella smiled broadly and looked to Yori, who returned it. This was going to be fun.

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The two men were facing each other in an alley. One was wrapped in a long coat, with the hood pulled far over his head, obscuring any clear view of his features. The other was nondescript, except for his eyes. His eyes glowed crimson, catching the faint light in the alley, and reflecting it back with a deep red hue. His mouth was set in a silent snarl, and he was slightly crouched, ready to defend from the advances of the other man. He waited.

"Relax. I'm not here, and neither are you. You can go where you wish, because you don't exist. Understand? Have some fun. It's not every day you disappear." The hooded man started to leave, turning his back on the crimson-eyed figure. The man remaining didn't know what to do. Does he take the stranger, so much more powerful than him, at his word? In the simplistic, animalistic brain of the man, he reveled in the opportunity this presented to him, and decided to risk it. He set off, letting his nose guide him.

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"Come on out! I'm dying here!" Yori's playful whine filtered through the dressing room door.

"Okay, okay, I'm done! Jeez, you are so impatient!" Asraella laughed and opened the door, showing Yori the dress that she was trying on. It was blue, with a full skirt and cap sleeves. She took two quick steps forward, moving into a twirl that made the skirt billow out, and then fell into a deep curtsy as she came around to face Yori again. She stayed there, almost on the ground, as she looked up to Yori's surprised face. "It's rather old-fashioned, don't you think? I like it!"

Yori's mouth was still open. "How did you do that? That was perfect!"

"What, the whole curtsy thing? I've known that for a while."

"Where did you learn it? It was so cool!"

"Um…" Asraella focused on keeping her smile. "I was in a show once that required me to do some dancing like that. I had to learn a little."

Yori was intrigued. "A show? Like what?"

"Nothing important, really. Just a show my school put on. Let's pick out a dress for you to try on, too!"

Yori agreed, and the next hour passed that way, both girls trying on different dresses. After a while, Asraella thought she had seen most of what the store had to offer, and decided on buying the blue one that she had tried on before. She told Yori this, and together they started to walk towards the stairs. A sliver of red in the middle of the black dress section caught Asraella's eye.

"Hold on, Yori. Look at this one." She reached in to get it, and pulled it out for her to see.

"Oh, Asraella, it's so pretty! You should try this one on before we go, just so we can see it on someone."

"Alright. Give me a few minutes." Asraella ran back to the dressing room, and slipped into the red dress. She instantly loved it. She called Yori over to get another opinion.

"Yori, could you tell me what you think?"

She caught sight of Asraella and stared. "It. Is. Perfect. You have to get that one, Asraella. It is not an option!"

Asraella took a long look at herself and decided to go with Yori on this one. No matter how she looked at it, that dress was better than the blue one. Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought back to the Night Class boy, whom she had nicknamed "Green Eyes". _I wonder if he'll be there. I'd love to show off a little in this! _The idea made her smile. She changed back to her street clothes and went to pay for the dress downstairs.

After buying the dress, Asraella and Yori resumed walking around town. After only a few blocks, Yori had an idea.

"I'm kind of hungry. Do you want to go get lunch?"

"Sounds great! Where do you want to go?" Asraella was starving, too, and lunch sounded better and better by the minute.

"Well, there's a place closer to the school that a lot of the students go to, and we could go there."

"That works for me. Which way?"

Yori face got a little red, and Asraella looked at her curiously. Yori noticed. "Um, you see, well, I have to get some things from a store that's about three blocks in the other direction, so do you want to go to the restaurant by yourself and wait? Or you can come with me, I guess." She was obviously uncomfortable.

Asraella, from her behavior, guessed that Yori really didn't want an audience but was being nice. _Whatever she's getting must be really personal. What could it be?_ She tried to think of what she could possibly be getting and nearly laughed out loud when visuals started popping up in her head. _Yori walking into a Victoria's Secret—Kodak moment!_ As it was, she held her hands to her face and tried valiantly to not show her mirth.

"Don't worry. I'll go on ahead and get us a table. You do what you have to do and meet me there, okay?"

"Sure. I shouldn't be too long. Don't get lost!" After giving brief directions, Yori turned and started running back the other way they had been walking, leaving Asraella behind, staring after her. She couldn't stand it anymore. She doubled over laughing, and it took her a minute to settle back down. She was behaving like such a…such a…prude! What could be so bad that she wouldn't feel comfortable letting another girl come with? Whatever it was, Asraella wasn't going to push the issue. Still chuckling, she started walking forward again, in the direction of the school. She followed Yori's directions, took a left after a block, and saw the restaurant's sign lit up about two streets down. Asraella set out down the sidewalk, but hesitated. It felt like someone was behind her. She turned quickly, but no one was there. She continued, every few steps taking a glance back to reassure herself that the pavement was empty. The feeling of having a shadow hadn't gone away. She was passing an alley when she heard something, something that sounded like metal being dropped. She stopped and whirled, hoping to catch whoever it was. Yet again, no one was there. _It must have been the wind knocking down a trash can or something. _She started again towards the restaurant, towards somewhere no one would follow, when a hand from behind her closed on her mouth, an arm snaked around her waist, and she was dragged into the alley.

_Shit!_ Expletives ran through her mind as she was carried backward, and all she could do was kick and thrash futilely at the person holding her. She knew she landed several clean hits, but nothing was slowing her captor. She bit down hard on the inside of the hand across her mouth, and quickly tasted blood, the metallic flavor making her want to gag. She heard a rough growl from directly behind her ear, and suddenly the hand disappeared. Asraella started screaming as soon as it freed her. "Help! Someone! HELP ME! SOME—"

Her pleas were cut off as the air was driven from her lungs, and spots appeared in front of her eyes. She had a moment to realize that she had been thrown into the wall of the alley. Asraella struggled to stay conscious. Her attacker was now coming closer to her, but the daze from the impact of her head against the hard stone wall kept her from being able to concentrate. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a whisper. "Please…somebody…"

Her world faded to black, and Asraella lost consciousness.

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**Thank you for reading! I hoped you liked it! If you have any suggestions or want to give feedback, please review! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo**


	6. Reconciliation

**Hi again...again. This is part two of the massive chapter that I wrote, and then realized that if I posted it, I would drive myself insane and lose all of the people that read this story due to the sheer length. :D Here is the next chapter in the fate of Asraella, presented to you! I couldn't justify leaving you on a cliffhanger, so I decided to post these at the same time. Now I'm rambling... Thank you to all the reviewers of my story, and I hope this chapter meets with your approval!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight, or anything else, besides Asraella. I won that little battle! Evil laugh_

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Zero was walking, not really to anywhere in particular, but always moving nonetheless. It wasn't often that he and Yuuki were allowed off campus, due to them being prefects, so Yuuki was determined to make him enjoy today. He sighed. _Yuuki is too good for this world._ That thought refocused his attention on the small brunette walking beside him, and her off-and-on conversation. Currently she was just following him silently, but he knew she would start up again soon. She had wanted to spend the day with Yori and Asraella, but instead followed him when he left. She had been giving him grief ever since. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't his fault for not going, that he didn't trust himself around the transfer student, but how could he explain that to her? She had some silly notion that he was avoiding apologizing for some reason related to his ego. Nothing was farther from the truth. He saw Yuuki take a deep breath. _Here it comes. _

"Want to get lunch, Zero?

He reeled for a second. He wasn't expecting _that_. His surprise must have shown, because Yuuki noticed.

"What's up Zero? What's that look for?"

"Nothing. Yeah, lunch sounds good." He tuned Yuuki out as she took the lead, and just followed to where ever she wanted to go. He was paying no heed to his surroundings until his sensitive hearing picked up a voice from around the corner.

"…you could come with me, I guess."

"Don't worry. I'll go on ahead and get us a table. You do what you have to do and meet me there, okay?"

"Sure. I shouldn't be too long. Don't get lost!"

He groaned. Not those two again. He grabbed Yuuki's sleeve and stopped her.

"Yuuki, Yori and Asraella are around the corner. You go on ahead."

She gave him a disapproving glare. "Zero—"

"I'm not negotiating."

With that ultimatum in place, she spluttered for a second before stomping off, mumbling something about getting a table and how he'd better be there. Zero smiled slightly. Yuuki was so predictable, and it made her a pleasure to be around. He didn't have to worry that she was manipulating him, or Cross Academy. She looked at things simply, a trait that Zero treasured. He turned and walked the other way.

When he reached the end of the block, he turned to see Asraella at the end of the next street. She was turning left, and didn't catch sight of him. As she reached the curb on the other side of the street, she hesitated, and looked back. Zero froze. _Damn, she saw me._ He had to reevaluate, however, when he observed that she didn't look at him at all, but was watching where she had just come from.

A flash of brown on the roof above her caught Zero's eye just as a strange scent hit him, carried on the breeze. He watched it disappear, faster than any normal person should have moved, and his breath left him in a hiss. _Vampire!_ His instincts screamed at him to race over to where the thing was, but he held himself back. He had no proof that the person he just saw was a vampire. Something didn't feel right, however. Deciding for a non-confrontational approach, he ran to the end of the block in Asraella's direction, crossed the street, and then slowed to a fraction of his earlier pace, hiding in storefronts while keeping an eye out for more of the stalker. He wasn't disappointed. On the roof a few stores ahead, he saw what he now could determine was a man, staring down from his perch at something on the ground with his back to Zero, but Zero couldn't see what his focus was. A door slammed loudly somewhere behind him, and the man on the roof turned abnormally quickly, giving Zero a chance to see his whole face. Looking at this man, Zero stopped, his muscles locking into place and his mind working quickly. The brown-haired man's eyes were deep red, and his fangs were visible even from Zero's distance. _A Level E._ He shook himself out of his paralysis, and waited for the Level E to turn back around. Zero was looking forward to his hunt.

The Level E, satisfied that the sound was no threat, returned to staring at what Zero assumed to be his next victim. Suddenly, he jumped down from the rooftop, and Zero lost sight of him. Frustrated, he decided to take to the top of the buildings himself. He slipped down a small alley and hoisted himself up the wall to the roof, and went over to where he had last seen the Level E, taking his time to make sure that he wasn't seen by anyone on the street. He crouched down and peered over the side where the vampire had disappeared. The first thing he saw was _her_.

He wanted to jump down immediately, but part of him held back, and he watched for a few seconds, waiting for a better chance to strike, when the target didn't have his arms around Asraella.

She was being carried back farther into the alley Zero was overlooking, the Level E having grabbed her from behind. She was kicking and punching whatever she could reach, but against a vampire, she was having no luck at freeing herself. The scent of blood hit the air, and Zero tensed. He saw two rivulets of blood drip down Asraella's chin, but the scent told Zero that it wasn't hers. The Level E growled loudly and pulled his hand away, and then Zero understood. She had bit him. He readied himself to jump down when she started screaming, and panic was clear in her voice. The sound made Zero want to rip the Level E to shreds. His lips curled back slightly, and he tensed. He only had a second to register that the Level E was moving, and before Zero could do anything, the vampire had thrown Asraella into the wall Zero was crouching above. Zero saw red. _How dare him!_ The Level E started to approach the prone girl, licking the blood from his hand. Zero faintly heard her try to speak, but couldn't make out what she might have said. Zero couldn't wait any longer. He jumped down in front of an unconscious Asraella, and stood tall, preparing for an attack on the vile creature before him. The Level E grimaced and then smiled. "Brother, why defend? She smells so good! I'll let you share."

As a response, Zero drew his Bloody Rose and aimed. The Level E quailed at the murderous intent in the now-red eyes that wished death to him. He fell into a defensive position as Zero spoke. "You bastard. Rot in hell."

The Level E rushed at Zero, but the Bloody Rose was quicker, and the vampire disintegrated at Zero's feet. Collecting himself, the victor turned to the student on the ground and just looked at her. The scent of the blood of the Level E pervaded the air, and blocked out any scent of her. With that in mind, he walked over and picked her up, noticing how light she was. He wanted to get her off the ground. Her head fell against his chest, and he examined her face. She was breathing normally, and didn't appear to have anything broken, so Zero wasn't very worried about her health. _She's going to be very sore in the morning, though._ She was wearing a light grey mock turtleneck sweater and flare jeans, both articles of clothing now dirty from contact with the ground. Her hair was partially out of the braid, probably from the fight with the Level E. Looking at her face, Zero questioned himself. _What made me react like that?_ He knew he had made the right decision by waiting to attack, waiting until the Level E was most vulnerable, but the reality of her lying unconscious caused him a strange sort of pain, almost like he failed her. He turned his thoughts away from the contemplation of these questions, and started to evaluate how he was going to handle this. She needed to get back to campus and be checked out, but it would look very strange to anyone passing by if a strange teenage boy came walking out of an alley with a dirty, unconscious girl. He didn't have long to think, because in an instant, Zero knew he wasn't alone.

Turning to face the newcomer, Zero couldn't hide the disdain he felt. He knew who it was: Takuma Ichijou. The blond was in a long trench coat, and his eyes looked at Zero questioningly.

"Zero. What are you doing here, and what is wrong with Asraella?"

"How do you know her name?" The responding question even surprised Zero, who said it in the first place. Why did he say that? How was it his business if the disgusting vampire knew her name?

Ichijou just smiled. "That's irrelevant. I was searching for a Level E, one that the hunters asked us to take care of. As for the girl, what you do in back alleys is none of my concern."

The implications laden in his statement infuriated Zero. His voice turned icy. "I took care of the Level E. It attacked her, and I arrived just in time to stop it from killing her. I'm taking her back to campus now."

Ichijou's eyes flashed, and Zero hesitated for a moment. Was that…anger? _It must be because I destroyed his target. _"You should return to the school, too, Ichijou."

With a brisk nod, the vampire turned on his heel and left, leaving Zero staring after him, fuming. His attention turned to Asraella, who was coming to. He was still holding her, and as she started to open her eyes, he put her on her feet, while still keeping a hold on her shoulders. She was obviously still dazed. Zero wondered if she had a concussion. Looking at the wall next to them, he figured that a concussion might not be too far off the mark. He tried to get her to focus.

"Asraella. Can you hear me?"

"Hn." She was trying, at least. Zero decided that staying where they were wasn't a good option. The restaurant Yori should've arrived at was just a block away, and so Zero helped a stumbling Asraella out onto the street. He kept his eyes open for Yori, and figured that it was about time for her to make her entrance. They didn't have to go far before Zero heard a startled shriek behind him.

"Oh my god! Asraella, Zero, what happened?"

Zero turned and Asraella nearly toppled over, making him hold her up. Yori had been the one to yell, but Yuuki was also with her, both of them running to where the pair was standing. Yori reached them first. Going straight to Asraella, she shoved Zero off and steadied her herself. There was a note of panic in her voice. "What happened? You never showed up and then Yuuki saw me and she told me that she didn't know what had happened to you either, and I was so worried. Did Zero mess with you?"

Asraella shook her head, but didn't try to talk. Zero could tell she was trying to process what had happened, and was probably in some pain from hitting the wall. He decided to intervene.

"Yori, she was attacked by someone who wanted to rob her. She hit her head, so she is still out of it. Why don't you help her back to campus." It wasn't a question.

Yori stared at him. "Someone tried to rob her?" She turned back to Asraella, and her tone changed completely, to become softer, more comforting. "Okay then, we are going to help you get back to school. Try to keep up, alright?" Asraella nodded again.

The two girls started back toward the school slowly, Yori with her arm around Asraella's shoulders. Yuuki was about to follow but Zero grabbed her sleeve. She turned around to face him.

"What is it, Zero? Aren't you coming back with us?"

"Well, since you ask, no. But that isn't it. She wasn't robbed, Yuuki. She was attacked by a Level E, one the Night Class should have taken care of."

Yuuki gasped. "Did you kill it? Did she see you?"

"No. I…I didn't act in time. She was passed out when I entered the scene."

"How do you know the Night Class was supposed to take care of it?" Zero looked away. _Of course she's worried about the night class. _Even with this, his thoughts held no venom. She was just being Yuuki.

"Takuma Ichijou showed up after I destroyed it. He told me so."

"Oh. Well, at least it ended reasonably well. I'm going to help Asraella get back to school. Don't be out too long, alright?"

He rolled his eyes. Yuuki thought she had to take care of him, but sometimes she took it a little too far. "Fine."

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Asraella noticed that her head hurt. She moved only to discover that her back hurt, too, but less than her head. She focused on opening her eyes, but could only open them a little. Just the sliver of light that entered through her lids was very bright, though, and so she kept them that way to let her eyes adjust. Just thinking hurt. All of a sudden her world tilted, and she knew intuitively that she was standing. As a response, her eyes flew open, and she pitched forward. She tried to brace for the impact she was sure would come, but she couldn't, and the collision never came. There were hands holding her shoulders. She glanced around the bright area and caught a glimpse of silver hair. _Zero?_ The thought stopped there. She wasn't able to focus currently. She was just happy that someone was holding her up. Something told her that she would barely be able to stand if left alone. A voice broke through to her and she knew that Zero, if it was Zero, was asking her something. She tried to answer, but knew it would be near unintelligible.

She and whoever was with her started moving and the light grew even brighter, making her half-close her eyes. They kept moving, Asraella stumbling every once in a while, but trying to stay up. Again, mid-step, her world pitched and turned, and the hands once more held her up. She tried to figure out why, and saw two girls rushing over to her. _Yori and Yuuki._ Yori was yelling something while she was running. In a flash, she reached her and the hands on her shoulders disappeared, only to be replaced by Yori's. Things were becoming much clearer to Asraella now. She fully understood when Yori asked her what happened, and asked if Zero did anything. She didn't trust her voice, and so just shook her head no. She didn't understand how Zero fit into any of the afternoon's events. She looked at Yuuki, who was looking not at Asraella, but beside her, and she followed Yuuki's gaze. _Zero. He must have helped me. But what happened? I think I was attacked…but then how am I here? _Her questions were answered when Zero explained. _So, it was a robbery attempt? That makes sense. Man, my head hurts._ Her attention was drawn back to Yori, and she was happy to discover that she was going to help her back to school to see a nurse. She knew she needed it.

As they walked back, neither girl talked. Asraella would have, but she didn't want to put the effort into speaking if she didn't know what she was going to say. She still didn't know the details of what happened, but knew that Yori didn't know, either. It wouldn't be worth it to bother her. After several minutes of walking, they passed the large gates to the school, and Asraella breathed a sigh of relief. After the first block, she couldn't ignore the injury to her back anymore, and so each step became more and more painful. Five minutes after that, Yori and Asraella arrived in the nurse's office, presenting themselves before a very startled woman who instantly kicked into action after hearing the word "attacked". She tried to ask Asraella questions, and Asraella tried to answer back, from what she could remember. She was more fully herself now, and answered clearly.

"Where did you get hurt?"

"Um, my head…and my back."

"How did that happen?"

"I hit a wall."

"Did he hurt you in any other way?"

Asraella was confused for a moment, but then quickly knew what the nurse was talking about. "No, nothing like that." She could almost see the nurse's relief. It made her think. She must have gotten off easy. Only a headache and a sore back? She didn't even lose anything, for it being a robbery—_Wait. My dress! What happened to my dress?_

"Yori, what happened to my dress?"

Yori looked stumped for a second but caught on quick, and a small smile played across her face. "Don't worry, Asraella! I had it with me the whole time!" She lifted an arm and showed a bag hanging from her elbow. Asraella breathed a sigh of relief. It may have been horribly superficial to be relieved about a dress, but after the events of the day, any little benefit was more than welcome.

It was decided that Asraella could go back to her own room, but she was supposed to keep icing her back and taking it easy, because the on-duty nurse was relatively certain that she had a minor concussion. Asraella didn't mind. She went back with Yori, who left her at her door, with a promise to come by tomorrow morning to check on her. Asraella was tired, and she collapsed onto her bed, letting the afternoon sun wash over her. She thought back to the attack. She had fought so hard, but nothing worked. It was as if the man were made of stone or something. She knew she had screamed, but after that she had no recollection of anything until she started to wake up, with Zero supporting her. _Zero. Why was Zero there? Did he hear me? Did he have anything to do with me not being raped, robbed, and left in that alley? No matter what, he did help out. I guess I'm not that repulsive to him after all._ The thought made her strangely content. She told herself that it was because it meant she had no enemies anymore.

HIHIHIHIHIHHHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIH

Zero was sitting on a bench, in one of the small parks scattered around town. Some families were also there, but they stayed on the other side of the lot, never crossing an unseen line, dividing his section from theirs. The children played in a small sandbox, while the parents sipped coffee on the benches around it. They all seemed happy, but once in a while a parent would glance over at him and give him a searching look, as if trying to determine if he's a threat or not. _Yes, evaluate me all you want. I am a threat. As much as I hate to admit it, I could hurt you, monster that I am._ Zero knew that the parents would continue to observe him, so he just kept his eyes trained on the ground. For a Saturday, the day had been crazy. He wasn't even on campus and he had to deal with vampires. Vampires not so far from himself. He considered why he was so willing to kill today, versus before. Last time he encountered a Level E, he hesitated and was questioned about it by Kaname Kuran. Why was this time different? He wanted to say that it was because there was an innocent involved, but Yuuki was part of the last encounter and he still hesitated. Was it because it was Asraella? At the thought of her, he shivered. If not for the blood of the Level E, and the anomaly that was today, he might have turned on her eventually himself. _It's strange…I didn't smell blood around her this time, Level E or not. Why would that have happened?_ Too many questions. The almost constant wind whipped his hair around, and moved the sleeves of his shirt. Too many questions, and not enough answers.

HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIH

As he lay on his bed, watching the burning mass that was the sun fall lower on the horizon, Takuma Ichijou considered the events of that day. His plan had fallen through, due to that damn hybrid hunter's involvement. No matter. There would be more chances for him to get what he wanted.

**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter should be up in a week, but I can't make any promises. If you liked the twists and turns of the last two chapters, please review! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo**


	7. Halloween Part One

**Hi again! This is the Halloween Dance chapter Part One! I felt like I had to put this out at a decent hour tonight, seeing as how it is Halloween, and so I haven't finished the rest of this conceptual chapter. I've delivered what I have, however, and hope it's okay! Also, I wanted to point out once again that this is a ZERO x oc story, even though it doesn't look like it right now, but let me get through this Halloween night and it'll all become clear. I apologize for shaky transitions or small typos. (I've read it a ton of times, but you never know) Also, I want to thank my wonderful reviewers, and let them know that I truly appreciate their input, and I listen to it with great joy in the fact that someone reads this! Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or any other references in this chapter (and there are some, I'll admit--but hey, it's Halloween). I do own Asraella and this plot line. _

The sun was sinking farther down towards the horizon, splashing light haphazardly against the ground as it was covered by the shape of the school. The extending shadow fell into Asraella's room, seeming to point at the young woman appraising herself in her mirror. _Not bad, if I do say so myself._

She had spent the afternoon getting ready for the Halloween dance, and she thought her efforts had paid off. It was getting closer and closer to the start of the evening, and she was getting nervous, her internal spring coiling tighter and tighter until she had to focus on breathing normally. Walking to the window, she looked out over the grounds, until her eyes fell on the main school building, which was still dark. Asraella knew that in just a few minutes the entire shape of the school would be lit up, chasing away the late October gloom with its brightness. Perhaps the ghosts that walked this All Hallows Eve would be frightened away as well. _Some ghosts cannot be chased away by mere light._ She fervently wished that her ghosts would leave her be tonight. She was tired of being haunted by her guilt, by the shade of May. She wanted it to end, however that may be. She caught herself. _I thought I was beyond that. Snap out of it, Asraella!_ She wasn't going to entertain anything like that tonight. She was going to have fun. To ease some of her nerves, Asraella glided over to the mirror once again, and inspected herself in the dim light. _The dress is as good as it's going to get, I believe. Now to finish._ She turned her back to the glass, and peered over her shoulder, admiring her silhouette. She loved to dress up, to get in costume. Her costume that night was a floor length red dress, with long sleeves that started off at her shoulders and widened slightly as they fell towards her wrists. The dress was actually strapless, and hugged Asraella's form tightly until her hips, where it flared just a little, into an A-line skirt. There was a slit to halfway up her thigh on her right side, and through it her shoes, four-inch heeled gladiator style sandals, could be seen peeking out on the bottom. In essence, she loved her outfit. She felt like she did it justice, unlike most of her other clothes, specifically her uniform.

She hadn't had to wear that for most of the week, at least. After she was nearly robbed on Saturday, she had been ordered to stay in bed for several days, because the nurse was convinced she had a concussion. Asraella didn't even set foot in the school until Thursday. She had spent the last two days of the week hanging out with Yori and Yuuki, and just drifting through the hours. The person she hadn't seen at all was Zero, who was never around. Asraella was alright with that, however. She wanted to thank him, but she could do that whenever she saw him next. She didn't pay attention at all, but neither did anyone else. Asraella had used the excuse of her concussion to skip class a few times, as well. When she did go to class, she was bombarded with news of the dance, and found herself getting very excited. This made the days drag on, and the 60 hours from Thursday morning to the dance Saturday night seemed like forever.

But now it was here, and she was ready to go. Asraella decided to be "fashionably late" by five minutes (even though five minutes wasn't truly late at all), and had her exact departure time planned out. She was going to leave in eight minutes, and wished her clock would go faster. Determining that it was close enough to the dance to finish her look off, she reached for her jewelry. She had selected a beautiful necklace from her collection well in advance, and she carefully slipped it over her head and underneath her hair; that was quite a feat, given that her hair was down and it reached to her lower back in gentle waves. The necklace she had chosen was just a large clear stone on a thin gold chain, cut into a teardrop. It wasn't a diamond or anything special, but it caught the light within its many facets and shone brilliantly, drawing the eye. A gold bracelet on each wrist completed the outfit. She turned her attention to her face. Asraella pulled out 3 medium sized boxes from underneath her bed, and opened each one separately. The first was eye shadow and mascara, the second foundations and concealers, and the third was entirely filled with lipstick, lip gloss and other odds and ends. She glanced at her clock again, and smiled. _Let's play a game, shall we?_ She waited for the second hand to reach the twelve with her smile widening. _Three, two, one…GO!_ Her hands flew through the boxes, pulling out carefully selected pieces of makeup and associated brushes. The next two minutes and thirty-eight seconds passed quickly in a flurry of brushes, powders, and creams until her face was transformed. _Hah! I still have it!_ She had applied makeup for the first time in forever, it seemed, and she was proud of her work. Her skin was now flawless, and a smoky eye along with copious amounts of mascara made her naturally striking eyes stand out even more. Her lips were just barely coated with a pale lip gloss, to avoid clashing with her eye makeup. She thought she looked good.

A flicker caught her eye, coming from the direction of the window. She turned to look as the lights on the school came to life, and Asraella's breath caught. It was so beautiful. If she had thought that the school looked like a Disney castle before, now the case could be made that it really was a Disney creation. It was perfect. She sat carefully on the thin windowsill and admired the sight until she had to leave.

She descended the large central staircase for a change, and proceeded out the door. Yori and Yuuki had to help set up due to some issue with the class president, but Asraella didn't know what it was. With them already there, Asraella had the time to think while she walked. The air was cold; she hadn't brought a jacket because she didn't want to carry it while she was at the dance, but now she wished she had one with her. _I was stupid. It's the last day of October, why didn't I foresee that it was going to be chilly? Whatever. I'll just power walk. _So that's what she did, walking quickly down the paved road to the school, but still trying to appear collected. Within minutes she reached the front gate, and two Day class boys who were checking tickets and names stopped her.

"Um…Name and class?"

"Asraella Mistout. Senior."

They stared at her. "O—Okay. Welcome to the Cross Academy Halloween Masquerade".

She gave them a dazzling smile. "Thank you very much." She started walking again. Their eyes followed her down the short distance to the front doors, and Asraella knew it. She walked tall and gracefully, smiling to herself. She was already having fun. The doors were open into the ballroom, and she glided to the threshold. Once there, she stopped. She took a moment to admire the room. It had been decorated in all sorts of oranges and blacks, with electric lit candelabras instead of the usual fixtures in the mounts on the walls. The atmosphere was one of an old mansion, like the whole room had been picked up and placed in a different time. Asraella loved it.

"Asraella! Hey! You came!" Yori's voice reached her and Asraella turned to the brunette in a pink puffy dress that was walking her way.

"Of course I did! I bought the dress, didn't I?" Asraella smiled. She looked again around the room, and noticed that it was already full of people, some dancing to the soft music that was coming from hidden speakers. "People around here don't understand 'fashionably late' do they?"

"Give them a break. This event only comes once a year. The only other time that we can do something like this is the spring ball and no one's in costume then. Everyone wants to milk this for all its worth!"

Asraella conceded with a graceful nod. "You're right. What have you been up to?"

As the girls talked, they moved away from the door, towards the left side of the ballroom, next to one of the large pillars that were around the edge of the area. They paused as a new person invaded their space, wearing no shirt and a pair of ripped jean shorts.

"Hello, my name's Jacob. Would you dance with me?"

It took a moment for Asraella to realize that he was talking to her. She, for some reason, wasn't expecting to be asked to dance. She was taken by surprise, but never lost her composure as she looked him over. He wasn't obviously nervous, but the strained way he clasped his hands in front of him gave away his feelings. On top of that, Asraella wasn't ready to dance yet; she needed to get more comfortable in this new situation first. With these factors combined, the poor Day Class student didn't have a chance.

"I'm sorry, I don't dance."

The boy by the name of Jacob walked away, shoulders slumped in defeat. Asraella watched out of the corner of her eye as he went back to a group of boys, whom appeared to be his friends. They were laughing at him, and several were glancing in her direction. She observed as two of the group played a short game of rock-paper-scissors, and the loser started to stare at her. She guessed what was going on. _Damn it. Am I going to be some sort of game? It is so immature to do something like that. Why would they do it, anyway? There are more than enough girls here who actually want to dance at this point! _She sighed. Yori noticed.

"What's up, Asraella?"

"Nothing. Only some high school boys who have decided to test each other's courage."

"Um, what do you mean? 'Test courage'?"

"Yeah. That guy was from their group. The ones in the corner. They're going to send another loser over here soon."

Yori looked at her askance and rebuked her. "Asraella, they aren't losers! You don't even know them!"

At the look on Yori's face, she couldn't help but laugh. She spoke quickly as Yori's face darkened. "No, no, Yori. That's not it. I'm not commenting on their personalities, but how they're picking who comes over here next. The one who loses rock-paper-scissors has to try next!"

Yori blushed slightly at her previous reaction, now that she knew it was baseless. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. It just…"

"I get it. And if I were you, I'd say the same thing. It was my fault for not being clear."

Their conversation was interrupted again as the second boy from the group sauntered over. And did he did saunter. _Oh God…who does he think he is?_ He was walking slowly, strutting like some peacock, with his head held high and a condescending smile on his face. He neared Asraella and got very close to her, almost too close, in her opinion. She stepped back a foot.

"Hello. You are absolutely stunning tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me."

Asraella cringed inwardly. His voice spoke volumes. She didn't know if it was an act or not, but he made it sound as if she would be the honored one, if she decided to dance. She tried to be civil, but she didn't like him already. "No. I don't dance."

He lost some of his greasy smile. "Are you sure?"

_How dare he question me!_ This time, her smile faded as her voice dropped at least a third, to a more threatening tone. "Yes. I am quite sure."

At this his smile completely disappeared, and he walked hastily back to his friends. Yori looked at Asraella with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry. They're just guys. You're a new student, and in that dress…I thought they'd behave better."

Asraella's smile returned. "Don't worry, and don't apologize. It's not your fault in any way. As you said, they're just being guys. Stupid testosterone!"

Both girls started laughing, and they continued to degrade the male half of the species for a while longer. Every so often they were interrupted by another boy from the pack asking for a dance, but Asraella always turned them down. After the third boy to do this interrupted their conversation, Asraella decided to throw Yori for a loop. When the next one came up to the pair, she didn't hesitate.

"…dance with me?"

"Well, I can't. I don't dance. But my friend here would love to." She gently nudged Yori in his direction. "Have fun!"

Yori glared daggers at Asraella as she was whisked off by a very happy looking Day Class boy. _Poor kid. He probably didn't expect to dance at all, seeing as he's here with a bunch of guys. Well, that would also explain why he looks so happy now. I've done a good deed!_ Her smile widened to a full grin as she thought of Yori. _Yori's going to kill me. But it was so worth it to see her face! One dance can't hurt her, anyway. I was probably keeping her here with me against her will._ She sobered at that thought. She had been hanging onto Yori for the last two weeks. Was Yori okay with that? She was so nice; she wouldn't say anything even if Asraella was causing her bodily harm. Her train of thought derailed as she heard a smooth, rich voice from her left.

"What were you thinking about?"

Asraella jumped from surprise and turned the ninety degrees to come face to face with the newcomer. She froze at what she found, mind working. It was the Night Class student. He was in a black tuxedo, with a cape, top hat, and a black mask over his eyes, one like a pair of thick sunglasses that had the center cut out. What really threw her was the rose he had in his breast pocket. It hit her, what his costume was. _Oh wow! He's Tuxedo Mask! _She couldn't believe the coincidence. She had loved "Sailor Moon" when she was younger, around ten to thirteen. He did the costume justice, even though his blond hair showed underneath the hat, and Tuxedo Mask was definitely not blond. Asraella couldn't care less. _Lord. He's beautiful. What is he doing here? Is he really talking to me? _Her sapphire eyes found their way to the green ones staring down at her with humor in their depths.

"Um…I…I…was thinking of…nothing, really."

The beautiful Night Class boy smiled. "Well, you were thinking of something, because your lovely smile disappeared."

She fumbled. "Oh—Uh—"

He cut her off smoothly, and she didn't mind being interrupted. "Would you like to dance? I would be honored."

She struggled to not hyperventilate. He was asking her to dance? Him? Green Eyes? She wanted to melt into a happy puddle on the floor. She focused on answering clearly, drawing on everything she had. "Yes, I would love to. And I would be the one who is honored." _Whew. Maybe a little old fashioned, but at least my voice didn't shake!_ Pleasure bloomed in her companion's eyes at her answer and he took Asraella's hand to lead her to the dance floor. At their contact, her heart nearly skipped a beat. Before she knew it, one of his hands was around her waist, the other was clasping hers out to the side, and they were moving in a slow waltz, being careful to avoid slower, less skillful dancers as they glided across the polished surface. She fell into something that seemed like a dream, as she covered up her doubts, her fears, and her insecurities. She kept her focus, and concentrated on dancing. _This feels wonderful. Thank god for 'The Sound of Music'! I would never have learned to dance otherwise._ The thought of her history once again diminished her smile. The green eyes she was losing herself in took on a cloud of concern.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Just thinking unpleasant things that have no place here."

"Well, then banish it from your mind. Can I help in any way?" His small smile became more pronounced.

She wanted to say, 'No, thank you," but didn't want to be rude or come off as ungrateful for his concern. She thought of using his name, and then realized she had a problem—Asraella didn't know his name. "You can do one thing for me. Tell me, what is your name?"

He laughed out loud this time, his laugh a light sound that was a delight to hear. "How rude of me! I'm so very sorry. My name is Takuma Ichijou. You can call me Takuma, if you wish."

"There is no need to apologize, Takuma." Her smile mirrored his. "My name is Asraella."

"I know." His answer, spoken softly, was lost by Asraella, because Takuma had spun her, their hands coming apart and rejoining precisely on the beat, her skirt flaring slightly, as he brushed his cloak back over his shoulders. They were silent as the last two or three measures of the dance played themselves out. In the few seconds between songs, they stood still and waited. Another girl came up to them, and Asraella started to leave, certain that the man who had miraculously deemed her worthy to dance with would move on to his next partner quickly. She was shocked when the words of his refusal reached her, and she looked to him in a flash. Takuma sent her a dazzling smile and walked the few steps to Asraella. Another waltz began to play, this one faster. He reached for her hand, and they resumed their dancing. In the first measure, Asraella looked around the room quickly, and noticed a solitary person in the corner. Takuma was leading her then, and she had to time her glances in order to see better who the person in the shadows was. After thirty seconds or so she figured out who it was. _Zero._ As she looked his way, the prefect raised his head and met her gaze. The hostility there was barely veiled. Asraella was confused, and a little hurt, for some reason. _What's his problem?_ Her attention was returned to the amazing being dancing with her when Takuma spoke.

"Where did you learn how to dance so well, Asraella?"

She blushed and looked down. "I had to learn for something at school."

"You are amazing."

Asraella's blush deepened to what she was sure was a brilliant red. She didn't respond to his compliment, but changed the subject. "You are a member of the Night Class, right?"

"Yes, I am. Why, have you heard stories or rumors of us?" His voice had taken a probing edge and his until-now constant humor was gone.

Her head snapped up. "Oh, no. In fact, I haven't heard much about the Night Class at all, besides—". She stopped herself. What she meant to say was, 'besides the fact that they are all amazingly good looking'. Asraella decided that the phrase wasn't exactly the best thing to speak out loud.

Takuma picked up on her omission. "Besides what?" The humor was still gone, but he had become more curious.

Asraella looked over Takuma's shoulder, avoiding eye contact. _What the hell. I should just go for it._ "Besides that they are all beautiful."

Takuma was silent. Asraella looked to his face, only to find him smiling at her. She breathed a mental sigh of relief. He didn't take it the wrong way. She smiled with him when he responded. "Thank you. Although, I must say, you put all of us to shame tonight."

Asraella didn't know what to say, or what to do. No one had ever said these sorts of things to her, and mean them like he apparently did. She was at a loss, so she just stared into his eyes and danced.

At the end of the song, barely after the last note had faded to nothing, at least three girls from the day class approached Asraella and Takuma. They almost shoved Asraella out of the way to reach Takuma, but he caught her elbow and she willingly stayed by his side, trying to look anywhere but into the faces of the now-angry teenage fan girls that crowded them. She kept glancing over the room, and once again she saw Zero, now off to her right, still against the wall. His continuous glare unsettled her. _I don't understand! What did I do? I haven't even seen him all week!_ She wanted to stomp over to Zero and give him a piece of her mind, but the mere presence of Takuma's hand on her arm held her like a chain, and she had no problem with that.

The fuming teenagers soon left, and Takuma turned to her. "It's getting rather crowded in here, wouldn't you say? Would you be willing to go on a stroll with me?"

Asraella couldn't say no to those eyes, drawing her in through wisps of his blond hair. "Sure. That sounds like a great idea."

His hand slipped from her elbow down to her hand, and he led her out the large back doors, into the extensive gardens of the school grounds.

* * *

**A little cliffhanger, I'm sorry. I know as a reader I hate them, but Part Two should be up very soon -- I'm going out for a few hours, but I'll be right back at it tonight! If you have suggestions or want to leave comments, please review!! I hope you liked it! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo**


	8. Halloween Part Two

**Readers, I present to you Halloween Part Two! I want to give a short warning: there is a bit of violence in this chapter, and the language takes a tiny step up, but this is still fully rated T. I've reached the halfway point in this storyline, and I want to thank every single reviewer, each and every one of you that have helped me to here through your feedback. I hope this chapter meets with satisfaction, and if there are issues that are confusing or things like that, please feel free to tell me! Thank you so much, and enjoy!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, or really anything else besides Asraella._

A chill October breeze struck Asraella's face and bare shoulders as she and Takuma stepped outside, her hand entwined with his. This was all too perfect. There she was, with a seemingly-perfect man who was interested in her, walking through gardens under the shadow of a rising moon. If she didn't know better, she would start looking around for the camera crew of the movie they were in. Scenes like this didn't happen in real life, they just couldn't. _I can't believe this is real, that this would happen to me, after all I've done. I don't deserve this amazing experience. _

They walked slowly in silence for a minute, until Takuma broke the quiet. "The school grounds are beautiful in moonlight like this."

Asraella looked up at him and couldn't agree more. "Yes. They are magnificent."

He turned his gaze from the path ahead of them to her face as he halted. "I know a place a little ways from here that is my favorite spot on campus. It is, in my opinion, the best view here. I want to show it to you."

Asraella smiled. Even though his words hadn't been a question, his tone begged her to come with him. She was entranced by his earnestness. "I'll go. Lead on!"

He returned her smile and started forward again, this time at a faster walk. Asraella had to keep up or be dragged, but she didn't mind the pace. They quickly reached the end of the gardens, but kept walking, the flagstone paths becoming gravel. The carefully manicured bushes and topiaries gave way to small trees and vegetation, the path now winding around obstacles where before the obstacles were moved to straighten the path. They walked like this for what seemed to be a short time to Asraella, who was just happy to be with the blond, green-eyed Takuma Ichijou. Every once in a while, he would look down at her and smile, and she would always smile back. They didn't speak, however. That would have ruined the moment.

After a while of this, Asraella felt her feet starting to hurt. _Damn these shoes! Why did I wear four inch heels? Oh yeah, because I thought they were great-looking. Damn my tastes!_ She didn't say anything however, and she just kept going at Takuma's fast pace. The small trees around the pair started to become larger, older trees, and the vegetation along the edge of the path faded to nothing, exposing the ground, or sometimes short, dead grass. _Where are we going? We've walked for a while now…_ Asraella looked up at Takuma to ask, but at just that moment her heel got caught in between the pieces of gravel on the path, throwing her off balance. She knew she was going to fall, and let go of Takuma's hand, instead using both arms to protect herself from the ground. With a startled yelp, she hit the gravel hard on her left side, her hands between her face and the rough stones. She sat up. _Stupid shoes! They are so coming off, gravel or not!_ She started to slip off her sandals.

"Asraella, are you alright?" Takuma sounded very calm, and Asraella looked up at him from the ground as she pushed herself to her feet, shoes dangling from one hand. He was facing away from her, and had moved to the other side of the wide path, so she couldn't see his face. "Yes, I'm fine. I just—"

She had caught sight of her arms and hands. They were dirty from the fall, but she saw blood seeping out from under the dirt. _Damn, I cut myself! _She raised one arm and twisted it to see the other side, to inspect for further damage. _And scratches there, too, all the way to the elbow. _She moved her arm down with the intention to check her dress. _I'm sure it's filthy now, if not—_ Her musings were broken as out of her peripheral vision, she saw Takuma. He had turned around. Her body froze, unable to even scream. Her shoes fell to the ground.

His eyes were red. Not just red, but glowing, their crimson shining in the moonlit night. His face had changed, all its humor or smiles gone. He was staring at her. Asraella stumbled backward, falling again to the ground. As if her movement had flicked some sort of switch, the creature in front of her started approaching, gliding toward her in a slow walk. The red eyes narrowed slightly. She tried to move farther away, but the dress prevented her from going anywhere fast. "Takuma?" His only response was a slight smile, one that made Asraella's blood run cold. "Takuma, stop. What's going on?" The smile became a smirk. Asraella started to pick herself up, moving until she was on her knees. She glanced down as she started to stand, but as soon as she did, her world turned, and then red was all she could see. There was a pressure on her neck, a pressure nearing pain, and she glanced down to find a hand wrapped around her throat. She followed the arm to come face to face with red eyes, staring back at her, and a smirk painting the features of the student who was now right in front of her. _How—how did he get here?_ Asraella's breathing became more labored. She gasped for air. "Takuma…stop…please…" As if honoring her request, the hand disappeared from her throat, but Asraella didn't have time to feel gratitude before the hand was back, this time grabbing her wrists and pulling them together in front of her. The red eyes drew closer. Asraella leaned back, drawing away from the violence she could see in them. Takuma spoke for the first time.

"You don't like me, Asraella?" She struggled to free her wrists, but his hands were iron.

"You want to get away?...Well, that isn't very nice!" As he finished his sentence he moved forward, pushing Asraella in front of him until she felt her back pressed against a tree. Takuma moved both of her wrists to one of his hands, and pushed them above her head. The other hand he placed next to her head on the tree.

"You have no idea, do you, little thing? You have no concept of how wonderful you smell, how wonderful I'm sure you'll taste."

Asraella's eyes widened in fear. Taste? What was he going to do, rape her? _Oh God, no!_ She breathed in to scream.

"I wouldn't make any noise, toy. No one will hear you out here—or maybe, some might, but they won't care."

She froze. There was more than one person involved? She tried to twist in his grip, and suddenly his attention was diverted, as he looked up at her arms. He licked his bottom lip.

"You are a temptation, woman, a temptation. But luckily, you are one that I can indulge in." He rubbed his free hand against her arm and brought it back down, smeared with her blood, to his mouth. He licked down the length of his hand, visibly savoring every moment.

Asraella was confused. She didn't know what was going on, or what Takuma was doing. Why did he attack her? Why was he—she couldn't bring herself to put words to his actions! She couldn't stand it any more. She screamed.

"Get off me! Hel—"

Her shouts were cut off as the hand Takuma had been licking clean collided with the side of Asraella's face. She bit back her shriek of pain, emitting a muffled groan.

"I told you not to make any noise, bitch." His eyes never left her face as the hand that had slapped her moved to her torso, sliding down the satin towards her hip and then further, until his fingers brushed the start of the slit at her thigh.

"I don't think I'm quite ready to enjoy the entrée yet." The red irises bored into Asraella's skull. His fingers grasped one side of the slit and yanked, ripping the seam to her hip. The red lace of her underwear was exposed, and so was a square of gauze, held to her skin by an edging of medical tape. Asraella cringed. His hand started to slide up and down her bare skin, almost petting her. His fingertips brushed the gauze, and Takuma chuckled darkly.

"You want to cover up, huh? Cover up your little habit? I knew from the beginning, as soon as I smelled you. Any of us would." His fingers pried up a corner of the tape. "Let's show the world, shall we? I've waited too long."

Asraella's leg moved involuntarily when Takuma ripped the tape and gauze off her hip, and she hissed as the pain registered. He started petting her again, his fingers tracing the deep, straight wounds that marred her pale skin. Tears sprung to her eyes at the light pressure on the raw, painful cuts. "That's much better. You smell so delicious, darling--did I already tell you that?"

"Fucking bast—" This time, after Asraella felt the impact of his hand on her face, she raised her head tasting blood. She tried to kick at Takuma, but her new found violent streak was cut short as one of his knees slammed against the tree in between her legs and his free hand went back to hold her wrists with the other one. He leaned into her, pinning her entire body against the tree with his. His face was almost next to hers, barely an inch apart. Asraella's breath hitched in her throat. He leaned in further, to whisper in her ear.

"I was wondering when you'd grow a backbone, bitch. You tried to fight off that Level E before so I was expecting more from you than this 'damsel in distress' act you've been putting on so far. Now I can have fun and enjoy this. I might even let you scream."

Asraella was paralyzed. She didn't move. Her thoughts had vanished as soon as he had pinned her. She couldn't move, she wouldn't scream, and she could feel Takuma's breath against her ear. Before, she was frightened. Now she was scared. His breath started to slide from her ear to her throat, and she felt his nose brush against her skin. She couldn't even close her eyes. Her mind was running in circles. _Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…_ Tears started to leak from her eyes as Takuma pulled away from her neck to look at her face.

"Now, don't worry. This won't hurt at—"

A loud bang shattered the quiet of the woods and Takuma Ichijou was forced away from Asraella. He landed on the ground several feet away, with blood quickly soaking the shoulder of his tuxedo. Asraella, after a second, slid to the ground shaking, eyes still filled with fear as she stared uncomprehendingly at him, as he started to pull himself to his feet. A large dark figure stepped in front of her, and she flinched. She looked up to see the back of a person with silver hair, still wearing a Day Class Uniform. It took another second for her mind to make the connection. _Zero. It's Zero._ Asraella relaxed a little. _Zero is here. It'll all be alright. Zero's here._ She just stared at his back, not thinking of anything at all, until he spoke.

"Asraella, run back to the school. Now."

She didn't move. Her thoughts were moving slowly. Zero repeated himself, this time yelling.

"ASRAELLA! RUN! NOW!"

Her adrenaline kicked in and she scrambled to her feet, stumbling away as fast as she could. After a few yards she had regained her balance, and she started to run, paying no attention to her bare feet, which were being cut by the sharp gravel. Within seconds she had passed a bend in the path, leaving Takuma and Zero behind.

Takuma hauled himself to his feet. He looked up to see Zero, standing over him with the Bloody Rose still in his hands, its barrel smoking lightly. He sneered at the prefect, whose normally expressionless face was twisted with anger.

"Are you angry that I attacked her? That I almost took what you want?"

Zero's hand clenched around the gun he was holding, and it started to shake. "I want to kill vampires like you who take advantage of people. Monsters who take the shape of humans!"

"If I'm a monster, than what are you?"

A strong wind whipped into the clearing, and Takuma's face took on a look of fear. Zero smiled. Nothing he did besides killing the bastard would be worse than what the filthy vampire had coming. Kaname Kuran didn't like his 'peace' broken.

Within seconds the Night Class president and pure blood stepped onto the gravel of the path, not making a sound. He was angry; both Takuma and Zero knew it. He approached them, and Zero backed off.

Kaname's eyes flashed red and Takuma flew into a tree, hitting it so hard that the trunk cracked. With another flash Takuma was slammed back into the ground, almost as if the air itself was pushing him around. As Takuma was thrown around repeatedly, Zero watched on, stunned. He had never seen this side of the pure blood's power. After a few more seconds of this brutal beating, Takuma Ichijou fell to the ground, and wasn't picked back up. Kaname took a deep breath.

"How dare you. You broke my laws, and you lied to me. If not for the others, I might never have caught on until it was too late. You knew me too well, Takuma Ichijou. As you might guess, this is the least you have to worry about." His voice was dangerously soft. Kaname walked over to where the pummeled Takuma was struggling to get up, and grabbed the collar of his tuxedo jacket. He turned to Zero.

"We're going back to the Moon Dorm. Find the girl and alert the Chairman. I will contact him myself shortly." With another rush of wind, he was gone.

Zero returned the Bloody Rose to his jacket and set off to find Asraella. He had only gone a few feet before he stopped, clutching his head. The rush of adrenaline that had come when he had shot Takuma had kept him from noticing that she had been bleeding. Badly. Her blood was like a beacon, leading him to exactly where she'd be. He felt his teeth elongating, and struggled to maintain his sanity. If he let go, she would die, and by his hand. _No! I will not lose! I can't!_ After what seemed like forever, Zero had fought down the beast inside of him. He was breathing through the sleeve of his coat, to dull the scent of Asraella's blood that hung in the air. He started to jog. It was cold out, and she was probably in shock. _I have to get to her fast._ He had gone on for about two minutes when he caught sight of her. She was limping, and had slowed to a walk. He also fell to a walk, and gained on her slowly, so that he didn't scare her worse than she already had been. He stepped on a stick without noticing it, and the sharp snap echoed in the trees around them. Asraella spun quickly, or tried to, and fell. She moaned slightly as her hands and bare leg hit the gravel for the umpteenth time that night. Seeing this, Zero started running, and got to her quickly. He bent down to pick her up, sliding one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees. Before he managed to get upright, he realized too late what a bad decision that was.

Asraella had run forever, and then walked when she couldn't run. She didn't think of anything: not of Takuma, not of Zero, not of the dance. She just kept heading towards the school, always towards the school. If she got there, everything would be fine. She didn't feel the cuts in her hands, arms, and feet, or her split lip. She just needed to get to the school.

A loud snap shocked her, and she tried to find out where it was coming from, but then she was on the ground. Dull pain ran up her arms and leg. She could feel herself bleeding. Something was running towards her, and she couldn't care. It reached her and she could see who it was that was now trying to pick her up.

_Zero. He's here now. _Her eyes closed as she gave herself over to the cloudiness that had been creeping at the corners of her mind, and she could feel herself shivering. All of a sudden, the arm beneath her legs disappeared, and she knew she was sitting on the ground again, only this time there was something against her back that reached around her front and held her. There was warmth there, and then there was warmth against her neck, a damp heat. She relaxed more, leaning back into the thing holding her. Her eyes started to open as a sharp pain ran through her neck and down her spine, but it was quickly gone, and she drifted down slowly until everything faded.

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**Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this chapter. If you have opinions, suggestions, or would like to leave comments, please review! Thanks! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo**


	9. Road to Recovery

**Hi! It's me again. After a frantic night of typing and editing, I have come out with Chapter 9: Road to Recovery. As a side note, there may be a larger time lapse between this chapter and the next few, due to a large, multi-stage project that I'm doing for a class. I will try to post often, but I have to slow down. I'm using this story as a procrastination tool, and that's not a good thing right now. Anyway, I want to thank my reviewers (who will get mentioned in the next chapter, I promise. You all have been so amazing, and I cannot thank you enough) and anyone else who reads this for their time and attention.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight, or anything else that is referenced in this story, besides Asraella and the plotline. Those, I covet.

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The door to the chairman's office banged open and the man sitting at the desk looked up in surprise at the intrusion. His expression quickly turned to horror as he viewed the figures standing in his doorway. Zero, a boy he considered to be almost a son, stood there, staring back at the chairman with dead eyes. The prefect's chin, neck and shirt were dotted with blood, its dark red trailing into the scarlet form of the girl he held in his arms. The girl's exposed skin was covered with blood, as well: Her dress was torn to the hip and the exposed leg was scratched and cut; her arms, hands, and feet were raw and bleeding; and there was a bloody mess on her throat, with trails of crimson spreading out onto her neck and chest. Zero took a step into the room, and fell to his knees. What he spoke came out as a whisper—a pained, tortured wisp of breath that threw Kaien Cross into action.

"Chairman…"

The former vampire hunter kicked into gear, standing and racing to where Zero kneeled. He checked the girl's pulse, and gave a small inward sigh of relief when he discovered that it was there and relatively steady. He reached to take her when suddenly Zero's grasp tightened. What he said came from Cross's worst nightmare.

"I did it."

The two men looked at each other for a long moment, the chairman with an unreadable expression and Zero with nothing but despair and pain etched onto his face. The older man broke the silence, and proceeded to take an unconscious Asraella from Zero's arms and place her on a sofa that was against the wall. His usual flighty facade had disappeared.

"We need to get her cleaned up, and get some fluids into her; she's lost a lot of blood. You also need to get clean, Zero, you're—"

The sharp click resounded in the enclosed office and the chairman spun, dashing the few feet to Zero and disarming him with one upward swing of his arm. The vampire gun went flying. Zero's eyes were blank, and his hand was still where it had been while he was holding the Bloody Rose, level with his head. As his failure registered, he went limp, falling to the ground at the hunter's feet. He looked up, pleading.

"Please. I've…I've…"

"No, Zero!" The responding shout was unnaturally loud in the insulated office. "You are still in control of your faculties, as evidenced by the fact that she isn't dead and you are here! You will not die by my hand or your own tonight! Now get up and help her, if you feel so damn guilty!" Cross turned away, picking up the Bloody Rose from where it had fallen and then returning to Asraella. He spoke quickly, not looking over to see if Zero would obey. "We can't take her to the infirmary, because we don't have a story for why this happened. We're going to need an IV, several rolls of bandage, antiseptic, and blankets. I think she's in shock…and also, get Yuuki. She's going to need to be here." He glanced over his shoulder, and saw Zero not moving. His voice took on a biting edge. "Go, Zero! Now!" With this harsh encouragement, Zero finally moved to get up, stumbling to his feet and walking out the door. With him gone, the Chairman went to his personal bathroom and retrieved wet towels, and as he slowly started to wash the unconscious girl's arms, he thought about the dilemma that now faced him.

* * *

Zero walked slowly down the hallway, lost in his own mind. _I…I…I bit her. I'm a monster. A monster. A monster that doesn't deserve to live. I don't know what to do. _He could taste Asraella's blood still, making the inside of his mouth tingle. He had lost control. He had hurt an innocent, and worse, it was an innocent who knew nothing about vampires, nothing about his vile nature, and didn't give any sort of consent. _Not that it would have been much better. Even Yuuki, who gives so much of herself, won't forgive me for this._ Zero stopped, and just stood in the hallway. His chest felt like it was constricted. He looked up at the ceiling, eyes burning. _Yuuki won't forgive me. I've lost two people today, both important._ He didn't pause to think why he considered Asraella to be important, but just took it in stride, accepting. He didn't care anymore. He deserved to die, wanted to die, for what he'd done. He started walking again. _Asraella needs help. I will wait to end my life, until…_ He couldn't finish the sentence, even in his thoughts.

He looked up from the floor when he saw a flash of pale fabric come up in front of him. _Yuuki. She had been at the dance still._

"Zero! Oh my lord, what happened? Are you alright?" Zero could only shake his head, and he collapsed onto Yuuki's shoulder. He stayed there for several seconds as she propped him up, shocked by his reaction. She pushed him upright and shook him.

"Zero. What happened? Why are you covered with blood?"

He stared at her. He couldn't keep it from her.

"Asraella."

Yuuki's eyes widened in a flash, multiple emotions running across them like words on a page, fear, confusion, puzzlement, as she computed the information just given to her. Zero's face, all the blood, his obvious breakdown. In an instant it all clicked, and she could only stand while she gazed at Zero with a horror-struck expression. Suddenly she let go of his shoulders, and enveloped his chest in a hug. Zero just stood, amazed at her response.

"Zero." Her voice was sad, but resigned. "Is she alive?"

He nodded, his chin brushing her hair and getting flecks of blood in it. _Asraella's blood. Yuuki is…too kind, she doesn't hate me…Asraella's blood…Asraella's blood…_ Suddenly Zero was nauseous. He broke away from Yuuki and leaned against the side of the hallway, his hand over his mouth. He was going to be sick. The scent of Asraella's blood on his clothes went from cloying to sickening in an instant. Yuuki went over to him, concern evident on her features.

"Zero, what is it?" He realized she was beyond concerned. Hysteria edged her voice. Zero tried to answer, for her sake, and found himself spilling the story, his breath coming in ragged gasps between sentences, as he tried not to vomit.

"Asraella left with Ichijou. She went outside with him. He was suspicious from the start. He knew her name. I could smell blood and couldn't look away. I tried to stay inside but later I couldn't anymore. She was outside alone with that bastard! Then I followed, and found him seconds away from biting her. Pinning her up against a tree. I shot him. Kaname arrived before I could kill the son of a bitch. She ran, because I told her to. She fell when I was trying to find her, and so I went to pick her up—oh god, the blood! She was covered in it! I couldn't—I couldn't—" He was hyperventilating by now, and Yuuki slowly pulled him to his feet.

"Zero, hush. Its okay." But Zero kept talking.

"I brought her here when I stopped. She's alive. Cross thinks she's in shock. I have to get things." Yuuki grabbed Zero's hand, holding it in both of her own.

"Zero, what did the chairman tell you to get?"

"IV, blankets, bandages, and antiseptic."

"Good. We'll go together."

The two walked down to the infirmary, Yuuki leading Zero by the hand. They reached it quickly, neither saying a word. Yuuki zipped around, gathering what they needed and then she started to run back towards the office, dragging Zero behind her again. He was still in the empty space of his head, reliving the last hour over and over again.

They arrived at the office to find the door locked. Yuuki pounded on it, and the Chairman quickly opened the thick door, visibly relieved to see the two of them. A quick look at Zero told him that the teenage vampire still wasn't back to normal. He instead spoke to Yuuki, his normal cutesy tone still missing.

"Yuuki, drop that useless thing at the door and bring those supplies over here. She's shaking and her body temperature's dropped considerably."

He returned to the couch, where several bloody towels lay on the floor. He picked one of them up and went back to work on Asraella's feet. Yuuki stared after him in confusion until she realized that the 'useless thing' was Zero. Her indignation was dulled by the fact that she completely agreed. She slipped her hand out of Zero's and went over to the couch, kneeling by Asraella's face. Her breath left her in a hiss as she surveyed the damage to the beautiful girl. Her face was bruised on both sides, and she had a black eye. Yuuki's gaze slid downward until she stopped at Asraella's neck. She cringed. Instead of one neat set of puncture wounds, there were two or three messy sets. She had never seen that before. Zero had been out of control. She looked back at Zero. He had slid to the floor and was sitting there, just staring, directly at Asraella. A low groan brought her head around front again. Asraella's eyes opened a crack, but then closed. The Chairman had inserted the needle for the IV, which had evidently roused her. A hand landed on Yuuki's shoulder.

"Is she okay?" Zero's voice cracked.

"Yes, she's fine. The needle upset her, I guess. It probably hurt a little bit." The hand disappeared.

"She's already felt enough pain for one night." Zero went back to his spot on the floor.

After an hour, Asraella was all cleaned up and bandaged, with an IV dripping fluids into her starved body. She had lost a lot of blood. She was still dressed in the dirty, ripped gown, but that couldn't be helped. With all the bandages, the IV, and the fact of her being unconscious, getting her undressed was impossible. The chairman got up from his position by the couch and stretched.

"That's all we can do for now. Give her a day of two, and she should be fine. Until then, I'm moving the office to the first floor. No one is to come in here besides us three. One of you should stay; I can't, because I have things to take care of. Understand?" Yuuki nodded, but Zero didn't move. Cross took this as a yes. He gathered his papers and left, softly shutting the door behind him. After he was gone, Yuuki turned to Zero.

"Zero, you need to get cleaned up."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Come with me." Zero didn't move, and so Yuuki tried to pull him up, but failed miserably. Zero was definitely larger than her, and when he didn't want to move, he didn't. She gave up with a huff and went by herself to the bathroom to get another wet towel. She came back and started wiping the blood off Zero's face and neck. Faster than she could see, his hand was around her wrist, stopping her. There was no pressure, but she couldn't move.

"No. I'll do it myself." With that, he took the towel out of her hands and placed it on the floor beside him. Without much care for Yuuki's presence, he took off his shirt, exposing a toned chest. He then began to wipe the blood from his pale skin. Yuuki looked on, at a loss for words. He had pushed her away. She turned from him, and went over to Asraella.

"I think she's sleeping, now. She must have regained consciousness sometime." The only response she got was silence, and the sound of a towel being moved over skin. "Anyway, I need a shower and a change of clothes. This dress isn't working for me. I'm going to head back to my room and get cleaned up, okay?" Silence was once again her only answer. She proceeded out of the room quickly, glancing back to see that Zero still hadn't moved.

* * *

He sat there, staring at the sleeping figure of the girl he victimized. He watched her breathe, and with every breath he thanked god she hadn't died. He glanced at the clock. 12:45. It was Sunday, then. For people who believed, it was a significant day, a day of redemption; for some religions, that is. Not for him. It was only another twenty-four hours of useless life, for him.

She spoke.

At least, that's what Zero thought he heard. He stared at her again, waiting for her to make another sound.

"…Who…coming…wait…" Incessant mumbling broke apart the words Zero could make out. Asraella's voice was low and throaty, as if she was speaking as softly as she could. He crept closer to her spot on the couch, trying to hear more of what she was saying. As the distance between them closed, her mumblings became more distinct.

"No…No please please I'm sorry I'm sorry I want to help." Her voice grew louder, a rasp adding to the soft tone. "Stop! Stop!...Oh god, no no no no no!" Zero smelled salt water, and realized she was crying in her sleep. His face twisted. _What is she seeing? What's hurting her so badly?_ When he had come across her in the woods, after she was attacked, tears had sprinkled her face, but she hadn't been actively crying. When the Level E dragged her into the alley, she hadn't cried. What could make her shed tears now? He found himself leaning over her form. He dragged a fingertip down her cheek, smearing the tracks of her tears together. He was cognizant after the fact of what he was doing, and hurriedly moved back to his spot against the wall. His eyes, however, their violet depths confused and tortured, never left her face.

Her dream had repeated multiple times that night, each time making her cry, and every time the words Zero heard were mostly the same. That's how he figured out the dream was repeating. Once, she moved, an attempt to raise herself that ended with her falling backward, not waking from her deep sleep. Yuuki never came back, but Zero wasn't surprised. He knew that she trusted him, as misplaced as that may be, and he also knew she had been tired. Her yawns while she and the Chairman had cleaned Asraella hadn't gone unnoticed. So he waited, never leaving, and never moving, after that one time he got up to see her face.

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Dawn was breaking when Zero was woken up by his name being called. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until his eyes fluttered open at the whisper.

"Zero?"

He raised his head to find Asraella looking at him, eyes cracked open just enough to see, and her voice once again hit his ears, quiet and hoarse.

"Zero."

As his violet eyes met her sapphire ones, he realized how relieved he was she had woken up. Now, he was consumed by the uncertainty that surrounded this whole event. What did she know, and how would she react to her first run-in with vampires?

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The sound of glass breaking filled the Moon Dorm as Takuma Ichijou was thrown into a mirror, shattering it into millions of tiny pieces. He struggled to get up.

"Kaname, I'm sor—"

The glass around him flew into the air, and then went in every direction, like bullets, embedding themselves in the furnishings and anything else they hit, including flesh. The Night Class president walked toward Takuma, rage that he had suppressed back in the woods showing in his red eyes. The blond on the ground literally cowered in fear, pressing himself into a ball against the wall the mirror had previously been hanging upon. He expected another attack, but was surprised when it came in the form of a backhand slap across the face. He opened his eyes to see Kaname Kuran inches from him. He spoke, his voice low and controlled.

"You disgust me. You will report to your room, and not leave. I haven't decided what to do with you yet. Things are in motion that you could have ruined!"

He stepped back, and Takuma scrambled to his feet, racing as fast as he could to his room, and locking the door behind him. He wouldn't have come out if the building was burning down.

Kaname Kuran watched the broken noble vampire dash up the stairs with a peculiar gait, almost as if every muscle, every bone, hurt. He knew for a fact that he was indeed injured, but also deserved everything he got. It was within Kaname's rights to kill him for the offense committed tonight. With a small sigh, he pondered his options. He couldn't send Ichijou home currently; too many things were up in the air, too many people unaccounted for. The stupid noble would just have to remain under house arrest. With this decided, the pure blood reached for the phone and dialed Kaien Cross's personal line.

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**Ta-Da! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have comments, suggestions, or opinions, please review! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo**


	10. The Curtain Rises

**Hello again! I couldn't stay away -- nothing is a better stress reliever than writing, at least in my case. Here is Chapter 10, "The Curtain Rises". I get this weird feeling that this is written differently than other chapters I've done, but I still can't tell what it is yet (maybe it's the tone? Oh well). I want to say thank you to all my reviewers, who now get their shout-out: thanks to Princesa de la Luna, I-Eat-My-Vegetables, MoonBaby2010, flaming-amber, AiyukiRina, Jvonr92, Love Tennis, blackenedrose13, AiAkakoSukiRini, Alice-the dark-angel, dgraymanxxx, Lostinthedragon'sfog, Undeniably Yours x, Chaos Dragon-Fox, and DaTruePrincess! *Whew*!! You all are awesome and really help me write. Anyway, back to what you came to read...I hope this meets with your satisfaction!

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**Sapphire eyes blinked. "Could I have a glass of water? I'd get it myself, but…" Asraella moved her arm slightly, making the tubing of the IV hanging over her swing. Zero didn't move. _After everything, and lying there hurt with me sitting across the room shirtless, that's what she asks first?_ She spoke again.

"Zero?"

He lurched to his feet, and felt muscles protest as he walked to the bathroom. He hadn't moved for a while. He grabbed a paper cup from the holder beside the sink and filled it with water. As he was turning to leave, he noticed his reflection. A mess of silver hair fell onto a pale forehead, and violet eyes stared back at him, accusing. _What do I…no, we…do? _As much as he hated it, Asraella was enmeshed in the blood politics of Cross Academy. Another person was tied to the vampires' legacy, now. _I have to find out what she knows._ Maybe it wasn't too late.

Zero came back into the main office and walked over to the couch, cup in hand. He saw that her eyes were closed again. _Did she fall back asleep?_ He was about to return to his spot on the wall when Asraella opened her eyes. Their gaze fell on the cup. "Thank you, Zero." Her hand reached up, using the arm that wasn't attached to the IV, and grasped it. She then tried to pull herself up into a sitting position, wincing. Zero guessed that it hurt a bit. He bent down to help her, but when his hands brushed her back, she brushed him away with something like a shudder. He decided instead to sit on the floor, leaning against the couch with his back to her. He could hear her sipping the water. Neither spoke. After a minute, he felt her weight shift and heard the bottom of the cup land on the floor beside him. He looked down. She had placed the cup down near his left side, and her hand was still wrapped around it. The edges of a large bandage could be seen on her palm, and two fingers had been wrapped. He reached down and took it from her. Their fingers brushed, and his breath caught. Her fingers were cold, but smooth. _Too cold._ He crushed the flimsy paper in his fist and looked straight ahead. After a moment, he broke the silence.

"Are you okay?"

She took a breath, and when she replied air tickled the back of Zero's neck. She was facing him, even if he wasn't ready to face her. "Yeah. I'm just…worn down, I guess. It takes a lot of effort just to move. Everything kind of stings." Her voice was less hoarse, regaining some of its smooth quality.

"That would be the antiseptic the Chairman used."

Three more times her warm breath brushed Zero, and then Asraella asked a question, one he dreaded. "Why am I here?"

"You got hurt."

Annoyance crept into her tone. "I know that. What I want to know is why I'm _here_, in the Chairman's office, still in a dirty gown and hooked up to an IV!"

Zero didn't answer. He had no idea how. How does he explain last night's events? How does he describe the insatiable bloodlust shared by him and the Night Class? She would run screaming. That particular predicament was solved for him, and another was presented, when his least favorite person in the world walked in. The individual in question didn't knock; he just let himself in. _Shit! What is he doing here? That door should have been locked! And why didn't I notice him coming? Damn pureblood._ Zero stood to face the arrival, Kaname Kuran.

"Zero. Leave." Zero froze. He didn't want to obey, but part of him desired to walk away right then. The pureblood influence, no doubt. He struggled to not move. The task became a bit easier when Asraella spoke up, reminding him of her presence.

"Why is a Night Class student here?" _She can't know. What is Kaname doing here? What does he want?_

"Fine, Zero, stay. I don't care. I see she's awake."

"I'm right here, thank you." Asraella's voice made Zero partially turn, surprised at her vehemence. _What does Kaname want with her? _He just stared as she continued. "Please don't talk like I'm not here."

Kaname gave a small smile, just a slight upturn of his lips. "As you wish. You had some things happen to you that have to do with our kind. I cannot allow you to remember them." His eyes glowed red, and started to walk forward.

Asraella gave a small strangled shriek as she watched his eyes change. Zero whipped around completely to see her trying desperately to go somewhere, anywhere. She was weak, though, and with the IV and bandages, she could only bury herself further in the couch. Zero felt the corner of his sleeve move as Kaname started to pass him. He couldn't take his eyes off Asraella. She was scared. Her eyes were wide and wild, and her fingers were gripping the cushions of the couch until the tips were white. He couldn't stand it. He moved in front of Kaname.

"Stop. She's terrified of you, and she doesn't even know what you all are. Leave her alone."

Kaname's smile disappeared, and he frowned at Zero. "Get out of my way. I have the Chairman's permission in this."

"I don't care."

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The pureblood didn't want to start a scene, that much was certain. Zero knew that by making him hesitate, he had won half the battle. Kaname looked over Zero's shoulder at the girl on the couch, who was staying very still. She was still staring at him, but had relaxed slightly. He turned his gaze back to Zero, and everything clicked. Kaname realized that this little thing wasn't worth destroying anything over. In fact, if his plans didn't go as anticipated, this development might come in handy. He turned away.

* * *

"You win, Zero." The sarcasm was so thick it dripped from his words. He started to leave, and glanced back when he reached the door. "One caveat, however. You must tell her. Everything. My offer remains open if you can't do that." Leaving the room, he shut the door behind him.

Zero heard a heavy sigh of relief. He couldn't feel the same, however. _Tell her everything? I…I can't! What would she think of me? She was so freaked out by the damn vampire; it must have reminded her of Ichijou._ His resolve solidified. _She needs to know. She _deserves_ to know._ He took a deep breath and turned around, to find Asraella rearranging herself on the couch. Zero saw how her hands shook and the frantic look in her eyes. To someone without the senses he had, those little indicators may have been overlooked, but not to him. She was still a little out-of-sorts. He walked over to her.

"What do you remember?"

Asraella looked up at him with a confused look. "Huh?"

"What do you remember of last night?"

She turned her gaze downward. Her voice was soft, but Zero could still catch her words. "Takuma asked me to go on a walk with him. I said yes. We walked for a while, and then I fell, because of my shoes, so I took them off. I was getting back up on my feet when…his eyes…God, his eyes…" Her face screwed up, her brow furrowing as she pulled her knees up to her chest slowly and haltingly. Zero waited. He needed to know what she had remembered. After several seconds, Asraella continued.

"He pinned me, and ripped my dress…he started…licking…my blood." She shuddered. "I thought he was going to rape me. Then—then you arrived." Her eyes rose to Zero's face, and a tiny smile graced her features. "You helped me. Thank you. I seem to need saving a lot." Zero turned away. He couldn't bear to see her expression, or feel the gratitude and kindness that radiated from her. He didn't deserve it.

"Zero?" _I can't do this…_

"Zero…" _Maybe I should just have damn Kaname wipe her memory…_

_I have to._

His voice was no higher than a whisper, the words sounding as though they were being ripped from his core. "He was a…vampire. He wasn't raping you. He was trying to feed off you. I didn't save you. I just…"

A moment of silence followed this proclamation. When she answered, Asraella's matching whisper was uncertain. "I don't understand, Zero. A vampire? But…they are supposed to be stories, creatures that burn in the sun and can't stand silver or holy objects. How could…" Her eyes widened. "That Night Class student was one, too, wasn't he? But nothing happened—nothing happened! You were there, Zero!"

"Stop saying that I helped you! I did nothing of the sort!" Zero faced her and moved to the side of the couch, faster than Asraella could follow. She gasped. He knelt and looked her dead in the eyes. His voice cracked as he confessed. The dice were out of his hands, now. "I'm…I'm one, too."

_Zero, a vampire?_ The concept boggled Asraella's mind. How could Zero be a vampire? She wasn't even convinced that Takuma and the dark-haired Night Class student were what Zero claimed, although it was the most plausible explanation yet. _Their eyes…how red they were…they can't be human._ But not Zero.

"No…"

Zero moved again, this time slowly. He reached out to touch her neck, almost caressing the bandage that covered a rather large area. The pain in his gaze almost made her pull back. "I couldn't…your blood was everywhere…I lost control…" He dropped his hand, and sat back, never taking his eyes off her face. _What does he mean? I don't get it, why is he so upset?_ She needed to see what he was going on about. She needed a mirror.

"I need to get up." She swung her legs over the side, wincing slightly at the stinging sensation all over her. Wobbling slightly, she hoisted herself to her feet, her dirty, wrinkled dress swishing around her feet. Zero stood quickly and backed up a little, still staring at her with pain and some other emotion in his eyes. She grabbed the IV stand and rolled it along with her as she started towards the bathroom door, which was still cracked open. Slowly but surely, she made it. Zero followed, hovering a few feet behind the whole way. Asraella didn't obviously notice him, but mentally took some comfort in having him there. Walking was difficult, and she was slightly dizzy, so someone being present to help in case she fell was welcome, although she would never admit it. She pushed the door open and came face-to-face with the large mirror. She gasped in horror.

She was battered; that was the only word for it. Her face was bruised and one eye was dark. The backs of both arms were mostly covered in bandage, and a large bandage covered a portion of her neck. _Damn! I look like I've been in a car accident, not attacked by…well, by whatever. _Her fingers traced her face and eye, and then attempted to run through her hair. They didn't make it very far. _And my hair's a tangled mess. Just perfect. It'll take an hour to work all these knots out! _As she pulled her fingers out of her hair, they brushed the bandage on her neck. _What is this, anyway? I don't remember being hurt there…_ She started to pry up the edge, and then slowly she pulled the bandage off.

She was stunned speechless. Her fingertips traced six puncture wounds in her skin, the small indentations leaving a red residue on her fingers. _Are these…teeth marks? They aren't random, they're in sets. They're…teeth. Someone bit me._ Her hands started to shake slightly. With a last look at the disturbing injuries, she quickly placed the bandage back on, and washed her hands briskly. _Blood…Red…Someone bit me…Vampire…_

She looked up into the mirror to see Zero looking at her. Her voice shook as she asked the question that had floated in the back of her mind since he had touched her neck and told her that he was—

"Did you…do this?"

"Yes." He turned, and started to walk towards the door of the office. _What? Zero, did he really? _Asraella followed as fast as she could.

"Zero, stop!" He paused, giving Asraella just enough time to catch up to him. She reached to touch his shoulder. He stiffened under her hold. "Whatever happened, you still saved me from Takuma."

He whirled and looked at her like she was his torturer. _Why is he acting this way? What did I do? What does he think he did?_ Her hand fell back to her side.

"Don't you understand? I could have killed you!" His shout echoed in the room, leaving nothing but a tense silence in its wake.

It all became clear to Asraella now. He felt guilty. Horribly guilty. But even guilt couldn't explain the depth of his emotion, and why he felt like he seemed to. _I just don't get it!_

"Listen. I'm alright. I'm bruised, but I'm alive. You didn't kill me, and I'll be okay." She took a step closer to him, but her world swayed. She started to sag, gripping the IV stand for support, but realized that she couldn't hold herself up. She suddenly felt arms around her as she was lifted off the ground. Asraella did a double take. One minute, Zero was in front of her, looking like she had shot him in the gut, and the next he was holding her, walking back to the couch. _Again! How does he move so fast?_ She might have said 'vampire' but part of her still didn't believe. Vampires are stories, monsters of the night that don't exist. But evidence was stacking up against her, and she couldn't deny anymore that something was going on that wasn't human.

Zero didn't say a word as he placed her on the couch. Asraella looked at him as he stepped back, and tried to catch his gaze, but he kept his eyes on the ground. He turned to go.

"Please stay." She didn't want to be alone. Too much had happened in the last 48 hours; she didn't want to be by herself as she figured it all out. Zero stopped and looked at her, his gaze unreadable.

"Sure." He returned to the couch and sat against it on the floor, still saying nothing. Asraella relaxed and stretched out slightly. She was tired, even though she had been out for most of the night. Within minutes her eyes started to drift shut. She was dragged back to consciousness when Zero spoke.

"What do you dream about?"

She sat up. _Why does he want to know that? What is it to him?_ "Why do you want to know?"

"You talk in your sleep." _Shit. _Asraella would have given her right arm for a chance to see Zero's face, but he was sitting with his back to her. She knew he was waiting for an answer. "It's nothing."

"It's not 'nothing'. You cry in your sleep, too. Don't lie to me, Asraella." Her name coming from his mouth sent a strange shiver up her spine. _It's because he's practically ordering you to tell him something you haven't told anyone. Now, what to say? _She thought for a moment before deciding to tell the truth, or at least part of it.

"I dream about losing someone."

"That's not the whole story."

"Of course it isn't! I can't—" She bit her lip. She had said too much. _May… _Zero shifted around to face her, and leaned his elbows on the couch. "Why won't you tell?

"It's just—It's painful…" She looked away from the piercing violet eyes and into the weave of the couch cushions. _I haven't told anybody, ever. May, why did I leave you? Why did I get so wrapped up in myself? Why was I so blind?_

"Blind? What were you blind to?"

Asraella was stunned to realize that she had spoken the last bit out loud. She didn't look away from the couch. She felt compelled to tell this man her story, and didn't want to fight anymore. _I give up._

"At my old school I was into theater, and that was my passion. May was a girl who I met freshman year and we were in shows together. We came to be best friends, practically sisters. By the end of sophomore year I started taking acting to a new level, and started to consider it as a career. May wanted to be a teacher. She was always better with kids. I love them, but she had a gift. I started to spend more time with a script than with her, but she never called me on it. She was a saint...At some point she broke up with her boyfriend during junior year, and I never even noticed how much it hurt her! All I saw was the stage, and the lights, and the magic that happened when I could become someone else, something more than just Asraella, the average teenager. Theater was my air, and my drug. I needed it to live, and to make life worth living. I didn't see it coming. May started acting different, just a little. She would put on a mask for me, and I, the theater geek, couldn't tell!"

Asraella knew that her voice was getting thick, and she struggled not to cry. Anger at herself now tinged her tone. "The last weekend of the school year, I was at rehearsal. My phone rang, and I didn't answer it. Afterward I checked my messages to find one from May, and she had been crying. She told me to meet her in the park by her house, and so I ran there. I tried calling her on the way, but she didn't answer. It was raining. When I got there I was soaked...I got there…I…I saw…she'd…" Asraella closed her eyes, afraid of the moisture that threatened to show itself. She struggled to go on. "I called 911…and ran away…I couldn't stay there…I did it, I did it! If I had paid more attention, if I had cared more, she'd be here! I lost her, my best friend, because I was selfish!" She was determined not to cry. Not here. _May, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…

* * *

_Zero watched Asraella attempt not to break down. He had listened to her story, and still was processing it. _Her friend, did she…commit suicide? And she blames herself?_ Zero was hit with an epiphany. _Both of us carry the weight of the dead on our shoulders._ He felt horrible now for demanding she tell him about her dreams. He knew that their burdens were similar.

Zero reached out and touched Asraella's shoulder, causing her to look at him, her deep blue eyes glazed over with an unspoken agony. He said nothing, but moved his hand to her cheek. He slid his fingers down, tracing her cheekbone. Then he said the only thing he could.

"I'm sorry."

He pulled his hand away and turned back around, leaning once more on the furniture as he closed his eyes. _Why did I do that? Her eyes, her skin…she's beautiful, and tragic.

* * *

_Asraella was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt Zero touch her shoulder. She looked over at him, and saw understanding dawn in his gaze. _What is going on in his head? Why do I feel like he knows where I'm coming from? _When his hand touched her face, her heart sped up. _What is he…_ Asraella started to get lost in his eyes. Their violet depths were no longer closed to her; she still couldn't see what was within them, but they weren't ice anymore. His hand left her, and she breathed in deeply. Asraella followed him with her eyes as he turned away. She watched Zero for several minutes more until she drifted off to sleep.

**Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this chapter! From this point on the story is going to move faster than it already is (fun stuff, right?) and things will start falling into place. I hope you enjoyed this! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo**


	11. The Exposition

**Hi all, I'm back! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. I won't go into details, but I'll just say that life got really crazy for a while. Anyway, I wrote this chapter relatively fast and its also the longest chapter I've posted by far, so please forgive me for any word usage errors or grammar issues (I don't think there's any spelling mistakes, at least!).**

**Separate Author's note: I've been slightly AU with this story, but I am trying to bend the manga/anime storylines to fit my narrative. I am aware that new chapters of the manga are coming out monthly, and so I would like to warn readers that if the ending doesn't go like I want it to, well...I'll just have to go totally AU. Sorry to you purists! Also: a warning for this chapter, which contains explicit references and imagery of self-harm. In previous chapters it was hinted (or maybe a little more than hinted), but in this one it is dealt with directly. I apologize if this turns away some readers.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knights or anything else related to them, even the cool bedsheets. I really want some of those though! (Who wouldn't want to sleep on Zero, really?)_

_**(Because I've been gone) Summary: Asraella has come to Cross Academy to start over after the traumatizing episode of her friend May's suicide in the United States that still haunts her to this day. She was attacked by Takuma Ichijou during a dance, and was saved by Zero, who subsequently bit her. She has no memory of Zero's loss of control, but knows from his admission that he is a vampire and so is the night class. We leave her at the end of Chapter Ten asleep in the Chairman's office, with Zero sitting on the floor next to her.  
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Asraella shifted between her sheets as the late afternoon sun streamed through her window and cascaded across her face. It threw her features into sharp relief, making every ridge and curve seem like it was drawn in marker across the canvas that was her skin. She breathed in deeply and opened her eyes, peering at the ceiling through a slight mental haze.

_I should get up. What time is it? If the sun's coming in…wow. I must have slept most of the day. _She remembered that she had fallen asleep in the Chairman's office, after what seemed to be a nightmare.

_I was in the office before, so why am I here now? Who brought me here?_

For some reason, Zero came to mind. She closed her eyes again. _Zero. I don't understand completely. Was he serious? Are the Night Class student who visited me and Takuma really…vampires? _Her reasoning mind wouldn't let her believe it, but something deeper told her that it might be true. Zero hadn't been lying; whatever he said he believed wholeheartedly. His expression and his sincerity proved that to her. Asraella's brain took off with her again, making connections to try and sort everything out. _If Takuma and that other student were vampires, does that make the whole Night Class vampires?_ The thought of many sets of eyes all glowing red made her shiver. _Zero said…he was a vampire, too, and that he bit me. _Unlike the thought of the Night Class vampires, this mental statement imbued no sense of fear. Her impression of Zero didn't mesh with her violent memories of Takuma or the incident with the other Night Class student. She couldn't tell if this detachment was because she couldn't believe it or because she trusted Zero. Too many things had happened lately. Her world was getting thrown out of orbit. _Ugh. What the hell am I going to do after this?_

Asraella once again opened her eyes and cautiously lifted a hand to her face, relaxing when she felt no pain from her arm. She gave a small smile and sat up, arching her back and rolling her neck. _Ouch! God, I'm stiff!_ She slowly crept out of bed, swinging one leg over the side, then the other, taking her time. She felt cool air brush past her torso and goose bumps sprung up on her stomach and shoulders. Surprised at the sensation, Asraella looked down. _Holy shit! What am I doing in my underwear?! _She grabbed the edge of her sheet and pulled it up, effectively hiding the matching red lace ensemble from the nonexistent audience in her empty room. She purposefully didn't think any more on how she was unclothed as she dropped the sheet and dashed across to her dresser, wondering why the heaters weren't turned up farther. She yanked the drawers open and grabbed a random pair of jeans and a t-shirt, which she proceeded to throw on. As she was pulling on the right pant leg, she noticed several large bandages, and many exposed little scratches scattered over the length of her leg. The smallest of the scratches had scabbed over already, and so she assumed that whoever had undressed her also had taken off those dressings. Upon further inspection, she realized that her arms were the same way. She reached to brush the gauze on her neck, and found it still there. Her gentle touch unconsciously became almost a caress as she got lost in her own head yet again.

_Could Zero really do this? I just don't see it, but he told me himself. He's just…just not that way. Takuma was an animal. Zero is no animal. He's saved me twice, now. _His face swam into focus, an exact replica of the moment when he said he was a vampire, the same kind of being as the ones who attacked her. His eyes made her heart want to drop out of her chest. They were sad, hurt, tortured, and behind it all, they were afraid. No, Zero wasn't like them. He was different.

Her hand dropped to her side and she finished dressing, sliding her drawers shut with a fraction of the force she used to open them and grabbing her hairbrush. She went over to the bed and started to work through the knots that had been created since the preceding evening. If Asraella had to guess, it was Sunday, late afternoon. She gazed out the window at the slowly setting sun as she worked through her long, dark blond hair one piece at time. Almost all of it was done, draping down her back in shining, well-ordered waves when her door opened. Asraella dropped the brush and whipped around, only to see three familiar people standing in her doorway, all but one looking rather surprised.

"Asraella!" Yuuki's pleased exclamation was paired with a large smile from Yori. The two brunettes stepped into the room, Yori joining Asraella on the bed and Yuuki dropping onto the floor. Zero remained in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his eyes closed. He could have been asleep. _He very well might be._ Yuuki opened her mouth to speak, but Yori managed to beat her to the punch.

"How are you? You look like you got in a fight that the other person won. You've been asleep almost all day!"

Asraella smiled back; a small, serene expression. "I'm fine, thank you. What's up with you guys?"

Yuuki and Yori exchanged a quick glance that puzzled Asraella. _What was that? What are they thinking about?_ Yuuki spoke first, her smile fading into a blank look.

"Nothing really. Just hanging around, and waiting for you to wake up." Asraella wasn't fooled. They weren't telling her something.

"Yuuki, Yori, you're not being honest with me. What's going on? What happened?" Both girls shared another look before they turned back to Asraella, moving so closely in sync that she would have laughed in different circumstances. She waited expectantly for their response. Yuuki took a deep breath.

"Well, we've been out patrolling since the dance, ever since Ichijou almost bit—"

Asraella's mind reeled. She didn't know how Yuuki knew about the events of the dance, but how did Yori know? She was scrambling, her thoughts coming in rapid progression as she tried to make sense of the situation.

"Wait!...Um…" Yuuki stopped at Asraella's sudden interruption and looked at her, confused. "What is it, Asraella?"

"How did you find out what happened? Yori, do you know everything?"

Yori gave Asraella a smile and nodded. Yuuki started her explanation again, but this time from a different point.

"Anyway, as I was saying, when Zero brought you back to the Chairman after he bit you and Takuma attacked you, I ran into him, and heard the story. I helped get you cleaned up, and left you unconscious in the office with Zero. I went back to get a shower and think things through but I kind of went to sleep instead, clothes and everything. Yori found me like that an hour later when the dance got over, and woke me up, asking where you were. I tried to lie to her, but it didn't work. I am a horrible liar." Suddenly Yori laughed out loud, making Yuuki blush slightly. "Okay, so I'm worse than a horrible liar! Whatever. You take over from here, Yori. This is your part of the story."

Yori cleared her throat slightly and picked up where Yuuki left off. "I went to the Chairman's office directly to find out what happened. I knew that something was up, because I hadn't seen you for hours! I got there only to find you passed out on the couch, all beaten up and bruised, and Zero asleep against the wall on the other side of the room. As I was leaving, I ran into the Chairman, and he asked me what I had seen. I told him that I saw you hurt on the couch all bandaged, and then I asked what had happened. I told him I was worried, and we went downstairs to a smaller office where he sat me down and told me everything. I learned all about the vampires in the Night Class and how Takuma tried to bite you, and the fact that Zero's a vampire, too. So yes, we both know everything."

Asraella was sitting very still, trying to go through all the information she was just given. Parts of Yuuki and Yori's statements were repeating over and over again, making the experiences of the weekend go from something resembling a nightmare to a startling and harsh reality. _They know Zero bit me. The Chairman knew everything. The Night Class…is all vampires? Not just the two I've seen? They know about everything. They knew all along. Everything. They didn't tell me, just left me there, asleep and ignorant._ She tried to feel some sort of indignation at being left out of the loop, but couldn't muster up enough emotion. To see all three of her visitors walking around with this knowledge like it was normal, or standard, or anything other than earth-shattering was awkward, to say the least. She wanted to go back to sleep. This was way too weird. She ran over the story in her head again, oblivious to the concerned looks both Yuuki and Yori were sending her way. When she reached the end of her mental recitation, she realized a small detail was left out of the narrative. "Um, so…if that's what happened, how exactly did I get to my room? You guys kind of left that part out." _And why was I in only my underwear when I woke up?_ Yuuki cocked her head to one side and looked at Asraella like she was an alien. _What is that look for? Oh…I just heard something that would send most people running and I'm asking about unimportant details. That might do it._ Yori answered this question, her matter-of-fact tone reflecting none of the insecurity or shock that Asraella had to believe was there, for her own sanity. She didn't think that anyone was capable of handling the news that there was a class full of vampires living in the vicinity that well.

"Well, this morning Zero came down from the chairman's office holding you and said that you should be back in your own room. The Chairman wanted to argue but Zero insisted, so he gave in. Chairman Cross told us to meet Zero here to get you into bed. As soon as Zero got here, he dropped you off. We managed to get you out of that dirty dress, at least. To be honest, we were surprised to find you awake when we came up to check on you."

Asraella felt a nervousness she didn't know she was holding slip away. _Thank God. Zero didn't see me almost naked._ Asraella gave a small laugh when she realized the content of the thought that ran through her head. _Why would I worry, anyway? It's not like he would take pictures or anything!_ Asraella could just see the image in her mind, with a strange, caricatured Zero holding a huge camera over her just-in-underwear form, snapping pictures like some deranged Hollywood paparazzi photographer. She found this mental image to be beyond funny, and her small giggle turned into hysterical laughter, tears coming to her eyes. She didn't see Yuuki and Yori's startled, frightened looks and Zero open his eyes from his spot by the door. She did, however, feel it when Yuuki's hand landed on her back, and her voice carried to Asraella's ears as the prefect asked if she was okay. Asraella nodded slightly and wiped her eyes, letting the remnants of her fit of semi-hysterics fade. She met Yuuki's gaze and shrugged off the other girl's hand, suddenly feeling rather silly for her outburst. "I'm perfectly fine, Yuuki, don't worry. I just had a really, really funny thought." Yuuki returned to her seat on the floor mumbling something unintelligible, but Asraella thought she heard something about "not that funny" and "scary". At that moment Yori spoke up, and the discussion was diverted to another topic.

"So, anyway, fall break is coming up, starting this Wednesday. Are you going home, Asraella?"

Asraella's smile faded and she tensed, any sort of relaxation leaving her body. She prepared to force her voice to remain steady and not give her away. As she was about to respond, she was hit with a thought—what did Zero tell them? Did they know about May, about the ghouls that stalked her past? Her eyes flew to Zero's figure in the doorway to find his eyes already locked on her, and she hoped his mind thought along the same lines hers did. She silently pleaded with her eyes for him to not have told.

After a second that seemed like a millennium, he gave a miniscule shake of his head. Asraella let out a breath. _He understood what I needed to know. He didn't tell them, either. Thank you, Zero. Thank you so much._ The gratitude she felt toward him at that moment was overwhelming, and she gave Zero a small smile, one that Yuuki and Yori didn't notice as they waited for her answer. The tension drained from her form as she responded.

"No. I have already talked with Chairman Cross, and I won't be going home for the fall break." Yori gave her a sympathetic look. "Is it because of the cost of a plane ticket? I'm so sorry, Asraella. It must be hard being so far from home and unable to go back."

"Yeah, that's it. It's way too expensive just to go home for only a week." It was true; it was too expensive. But Asraella didn't want to admit the real reason she wasn't going home, back to the United States. She couldn't admit that although her parents would be ecstatic to have her back, there were too many memories, and too many people who she couldn't face. Asraella wouldn't have gone home over break if the school burned down.

A sense that the conversation had ended fell over the small group that surrounded Asraella, and Yuuki got up to leave, followed by Yori. She said goodbye as she went. "Well, we're glad to see that you're up, Asraella. We just dropped by to pick up Zero, really, so it was a great surprise to find you awake."

Yuuki's statement struck her as odd. "'Pick up Zero'?" Her tone made the statement an obvious question.

Yuuki responded innocently, "Yep. He's been up here outside your room all day."

Asraella looked to where Zero stood to see only empty space. _He's gone._ She was pondering this tidbit of information as Yuuki pulled a waving Yori out the still-open door.

_Zero was outside my door all this time?_ The thought gave her a strange sense of comfort as she set about getting ready for Monday.

* * *

Wednesday had come quickly, the days between that Sunday and fall break slipping by before Asraella could get a handle on them. When the morning arrived, Asraella dressed in jeans instead of her uniform and went to the main foyer of the Sun dorm to watch everyone leave. She was perched on the foot of a large statue of a lion, one of a pair that guarded the main central staircase, sitting on top of its stone paws and leaning back into the solid hardness of its sculpted mane and chest. She had originally tried to sit on the stairs, but the constant flow of luggage and people made that position a precarious one at best. After she was jostled for the umpteenth time, Asraella decided that she was going to climb up into this new spot, one where nobody would come by and accidentally hit her with yet another rolling suitcase.

As she watched the mass of people mill about the main foyer, greeting each other, loading cars or even limos, and reuniting with family and friends, Asraella was hit with a wave of homesickness. She tried to suppress it, however she couldn't help but feel some shred of hope that her parents would walk in those large doors to get her, and she couldn't stop the hollow pain as she realized that they wouldn't. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, feeling a carved ridge of stone dig into the back of her head. _I chose to stay away from home. I didn't want to go back, and I know that if I did return today I'd regret my decision halfway across the Atlantic!_

"Asraella! Asraella, come on down! I want to say goodbye!" Yori's voice broke Asraella from her thoughts and self-pity, and she slid down the rough stone to land gracefully on her feet, facing a smiling Yori and a couple that Asraella assumed to be her parents. Her assumption was quickly validated.

"Asraella, these are my parents." Asraella smiled slightly and reached forward to shake Yori's father's hand first, then her mother's. She tried not to notice as both of them hesitated when they saw her still-bruised face, and the last few bandages on her arms and hands, not to mention the one on her throat. She'd been getting that a lot lately, always from other students at school, who didn't know what had happened. She had also become aware over the course of the morning that several parents who arrived to pick up their children also looked at her strangely. Asraella just hoped that Yori's parents wouldn't ask her how she got hurt; everyone in classes asked her that.

She didn't have to worry. Mrs. Wakaba simply smiled back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Asraella. I'm glad Yori has found another friend." _Thank you! I don't have to try to pull off that stupid lie that "I fell down the stairs"._

Asraella didn't answer but nodded with a larger smile, and she was soon wrapped up in a hug from Yori. "Alright. I've got to go now, but take care over break, okay? Don't get too lonely!"

"It's only a week, Yori. I think I'll make it." Yori turned away and grabbed her mother's hand, pulling her parents out of the foyer and toward one of the many waiting cars. As she stepped over the threshold, she looked back and waved. Asraella waved back, and kept waving until Yori turned around again.

When she disappeared from sight, Asraella let her hand drop, and the smile faded from her face. She started to return to her spot on the statue, climbing halfway up the staircase then vaulting over the handrail to land on the pedestal the lion sat on. She slid around the front of the statue and tried to get comfortable again, nestled under the big cat's chin.

"You shouldn't be there." A soft tenor voice that was all too familiar came from behind her, and brought Asraella's head around. She craned her neck to try to see where it was coming from.

"Up here." She looked straight up, only to see Zero perched on the lion's back, looking down at her with those violet eyes once again behind a wall of impassiveness.

"Well, if I'm not supposed to be sitting here, why are you up here as well, Zero?" Her comment did not have the desired effect as he simply blinked and answered her as though she asked about the weather instead of being a smart-aleck.

"I'm a prefect. Get down off the statue." Asraella couldn't see any reason to argue, although there probably wasn't anything wrong with sitting on the thing, and for the second time in just minutes she slid down the stone figure. Once she was safely on the ground, she turned back to look up at Zero. He didn't say anything, but suddenly leapt off the top of the statue and landed perfectly in front of her. Asraella's mouth fell open. _What was that? That had to be 8 feet! He just jumps and lands as though that's normal!_

"What?" Zero had noticed her amazement.

"Nothing." She wasn't going to tell him that his little stunt had her in a mild state of shock. _Is that what comes with being a…vampire?_ She shook herself mentally. She had to just get over it. This was no big deal.

"Why are you here?" Zero's question caught Asraella off guard.

"Because I'm not going home." _Duh. Come on, Zero. You're smarter than that!_

"No. Why are you here, watching people leave?" _Oh._ She didn't want to say that she was here to reminisce, to watch as people went back to their families and other friends and try to think of what it would be like. She made something up.

"I was waiting to say goodbye to people."

"Yori left five minutes ago, but you stayed. Who else is there?"

_Damn._ He had figured out there was something wrong in her explanation. She wasn't close to anyone else at Cross Academy, really, besides Yori, Yuuki, and to a degree, Zero himself.

"Are you insinuating that I don't have any other friends? I may have some you don't know about, okay?" Her indignant tone was accompanied by Asraella turning her back to Zero. There was a short pause when she realized that he wasn't leaving; he didn't accept her response. She sighed. He wanted to know the truth, did he? _Well, he already knows my story. It can't hurt._ "I wanted to watch people leaving. I almost wish I was going home just like them." There, she said it. She took a step forward, intending to go back to her room, when his next question stopped her.

"Why do you 'almost' wish? You could just go home."

_But I can't, Zero, I can't. And you wouldn't understand, anyway._ With this thought in mind, Asraella started walking again, leaving Zero's question hanging in the air between them as she proceeded back to her room, which seemed dim to her eyes even with the morning sun streaming in her window.

* * *

Asraella was sitting at her desk, her hands in her lap, staring out the window. She had done nothing else for the entire day, after her encounter with Zero. She sat perfectly still, relaxed, with eyes half closed as she surveyed the darkened campus. There were no lights outside, and no moon donated its radiance to the depths of the night. The dorm was silent, beyond the normal quiet of the evening, and in her mind Asraella could hear wisps of hollow laughter, tiny ephemeral clicks of doors opening and closing; she thought she saw ghostly light creep around the corners of her vision. She was distanced from these intangible things, and she knew that they were taunting her, drawing the line between her existence and theirs, pouring an ocean into the gap that separated her current life from what she had known, and what she yearned for.

She wasn't actually seeing the view before her, of the expansive grounds draped in black, nor did she feel where she was, sitting on a hard wooden chair in front of a virtually empty desk. She was lost in the recesses of her mind, brought there by the darkness that rested within her own soul. She couldn't care that the hours had slipped by as the sun sank below the horizon, and didn't appreciate the view as the school was bathed in golden twilight. She wasn't thinking in coherent thoughts or even putting much effort into bending her thought patterns to a recognizable blueprint. She was drifting, letting her cognizance glide with no direction in darkness. Minutes, hours, passed.

_A four person family, with no room for the fifth. _

_A school, with an empty locker that no one would fill. A play, a classroom, a restaurant, a room, a desk, a chair, that exists without aid. They are complete the way they are. The world needs nothing else, it will continue. _

Why does she not fade away?

_A family, her family, celebrating a holiday with a meal and friends, happy and normal. _

Normal without her.

_A class, her class, the professor teaching and other people answering questions._

Normal without her.

For the first time in hours, her fingers twitch. They beg for a metal edge, sharp and strangely beautiful in its simplicity. The top desk drawer is opened by the arm that moves as if it has a mind of its own. Fingers dance around a plastic handle, and during their gentle caress a fingertip is gouged by the edge of the blade, a small line of red appearing instantly, slicing the fingerprint in two, invalidating the existence of the hand and the person connected to it, by desecrating the only truly individual part of the body. The hand returns to the handle and draws the object out of the drawer, into the dim night that has saturated the room, making it a shadow, a shadow with an edge. Her wrists call but she skitters away from the song that beckons her into the unknown. Instead, her whole body shifts, one hand pulling down the waistband of her jeans, and her torso twisting around to achieve the angle she needs. There is no light on in the room and so the only knowledge of her actions to any observer would be the hiss of releasing breath, the slight arch of a back, and the metallic scent of blood.

* * *

Zero's head snapped up as a familiar scent laced the air, and his throat constricted slightly. It was very faint; at this point he was fine. He took a deeper breath, letting the air that tasted like the sweetest dessert but also felt like the most bitter poison flow into his mouth and lungs. _Asraella. She's bleeding._ Why would she be bleeding? He remembered the slashes on her hips, the ever-present scent of blood that hovered faintly around her, and her actions that morning. He didn't understand why, but what she was doing frustrated and worried him. He wanted to rush to her room, where he was sure she was, but held himself back. He was in Yuuki's room two floors down, and if he could smell it from there then actually going to Asraella would end very badly for the both of them. He had already lost control once. Zero tried to ignore the cloying scent and everything it symbolized. _That has nothing to do with me. She's her own person and can do whatever the hell she wants! She can deal with her own problems!_ But he found that he couldn't ignore her, and not just because of her blood. He wanted her to stop, wanted to make the pain she must be feeling to go away.

Yuuki was getting some clothes from her room, and was quietly humming a song Zero didn't recognize. She was going to be staying with the Chairman for the break, and it was taking forever to get her things together. She didn't notice as Zero froze and looked vaguely upwards. She hadn't sensed the change in him until Zero spoke, breaking the comfortable relative silence that had reigned over the last several minutes.

"Yuuki."

"What is it, Zero?"

"Go stop Asraella." _She shouldn't be doing this, but I can't stop her myself._

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Zero let his anxiousness add a slight edge to his tone. "Just go up there to her room, alright?"

Putting on a pout, Yuuki dropped the clothes she had in her arms and marched out the door. "Fine. You could have just gone yourself, you know!"

Zero just closed his eyes and sighed. _Thank you, Yuuki._

_

* * *

  
_

Five red lines marched angrily across the pale skin of Asraella's hip. She inhaled shallowly as a sixth began. She wasn't thinking, just feeling, finally allowing herself to feel everything, everything she had to keep locked up inside herself.

A soft scream made her eyes fly open as a shaft of light fell into her room, and in that instant, she put herself away. She put away all her pain and fears, and once again shoved all this out of her conscious mind and thoughts. She focused her eyes to see a stunned Yuuki, standing in her doorway with an expression of shock and horror. _Damn. I guess this had to come sometime._ Turning from the prefect, Asraella looked out her window again, not bothering to pull her pants waistband back into place or slide her blade back into the drawer of her desk. It was too late at that point.

"Asraella, what were you doing?" Yuuki's voice was low, and it shook slightly. Asraella didn't answer, but moved to pick up the knife from the desktop. She was stopped by a small hand, which pulled the blade out from under her fingers. "No. Let me have it. It's a good thing that Zero told me to come and check on you. I saw the marks when you were hurt but I didn't make the connection…I need to go talk to the Chairman."

"Yuuki, wait." Asraella forced the words from a disused throat, and they sounded rough. "Please don't tell the Chairman." _I need to avoid what this would mean—the shrink, the possible drugs. I'm not sick! I'm not crazy!_ She wanted to scream this at Yuuki, and make the strange distrustful expression leave Yuuki's face.

"I have to tell him, Asraella. You need help." _No! I'm fine, seriously! Leave me alone!_

"Yuuki, you can take that…I'll stop. I won't do it again, just please, don't tell the chairman." She had been reduced to bargaining, but she didn't care. The Chairman could not know. She twisted around so that she could face Yuuki once more, and watched as the small girl's shoulders fell slightly and her face lost some of its tension.

"Fine…I feel like I'm making a huge mistake here, but as long as you stop completely from this point on, I won't tell the Chairman."

"Thank you, Yuuki." With that, Yuuki left the room, flicking on the lights as she passed over the threshold, and closing the door behind her. She left a relieved, temporarily blinded Asraella sitting at her desk, where she had been all day. Asraella got up as her vision returned to normal, and set about bandaging her hip, with a strange sense of trepidation. _Why am I now anxious? Yuuki said she wouldn't tell._ She then realized that she was worried about what Yuuki thought of her. She tried to shove the feeling to the side, but it would not be ignored. _So where are we now, Yuuki?_

_

* * *

  
_

The next morning arrived with the usual hints of sunshine that fell on Asraella's bed, causing her to roll over onto her stomach to shield her eyes. _Damn sun. Give me a few more hours, honestly!_ After several unsuccessful attempts to go back to sleep, she gave up, and hauled herself out of bed into the cool air of her room. After the previous evening's events and a decent amount of sleep, Asraella felt slightly guilty. She couldn't avoid the thoughts running around her head as she changed into leggings and an oversized sweater, having to be careful around the new pad of gauze that covered the cuts on her hip. _What will Yuuki think? I shouldn't have been doing this, not again. I thought things would change, and that when I left home all of this would be gone. Man, was I wrong._

After she was dressed, Asraella set about cleaning her room, dusting the sparse furniture and making her bed. She hadn't brought much with her to Cross Academy; she only had clothes, bedding, towels, shoes, makeup, and school supplies. Having just the essentials made cleaning go a lot quicker than she was used to, and it gave her a simple sort of pleasure. After setting the small dorm room in order, she gathered up her laundry and her homework and went down to the laundry room. She gave herself a mental high-five as she walked in to the room filled with washers and dryers. _Ha ha! No one's here! I can take all the time I want!_ She loaded some of her clothes and then climbed on top of another, unused washer, sitting Indian-style. Getting comfortable, she pulled out one of the assignments she had brought with her and got to work. Several hours later, with all but one load of laundry done and that last load being in the dryer, Asraella put away her now-finished homework and started to fold the piles of clothes that surrounded her. She had moved to the top of the working dryer, and the subtle shaking of the machine combined with the warmth of the laundry around her soon lulled her into a nap.

"Asraella!...Asraella!" A girl's voice woke Asraella immediately, but she didn't want to give whoever it was the pleasure of waking her up. She was quite comfortable.

"Hmm?"

"Asraella, wake up! The Chairman's invited you to dinner with me and Zero!" _Oh, it's Yuuki…wait…Yuuki?!_ Asraella's eyes snapped open, to be met with two large brown orbs staring right into her face.

"Gah!" _Too close, too close!_

Yuuki giggled. "Sorry. Hop on down, okay? We're having a great dinner tonight!"

Asraella observed Yuuki for a second. She wasn't acting any different than she was before last night, and a spring that had been wound tight deep inside her unwound. With a small smile, Asraella started to move her laundry out of the way, taking down the walls she had constructed around herself with clothes. "Sure. Give me a minute to put this away."

They were walking from the Sun dorms to the Chairman's house, having put Asraella's clothes back in her room and grabbed a jacket. Asraella was feeling alright, and she allowed herself a smile. _Surprising…it is really nice to have some company. I've been kind of lonely today._ She felt Yuuki looking at her, and turned her head, only to catch Yuuki peering at her with narrowed eyes.

"What is it, Yuuki?"

"You're happier today." She sounded perplexed.

"Yes. What of it?" Yuuki didn't answer, but a smile came back over her face and she grabbed Asraella's hand.

"Come on! They're waiting for us." Yuuki pulled Asraella along as she started to jog to the small light that had just become visible at the end of the road. In a matter of minutes, the two girls arrived at the front door of the Chairman's house, both slightly out of breath and laughing. Yuuki pushed the door open, and Asraella followed her in. Chairman Cross saw them first and practically skipped over.

"Ah! My darling daughter and favorite new student! What were you doing?"

"We raced here, Chairman. Asraella beat me—but only barely!" Yuuki stuck her tongue out at her competitor.

"Wrong! I totally beat you by a mile!" Asraella playfully reached out as if to grab Yuuki's offending tongue, and Yuuki ducked away. Asraella stalked forward.

"Chairman! Get her to stop!"

"My dear Yuuki, I can only help you if you call me Daddy!" Yuuki was running out of room as Asraella advanced.

"Fine! Daddy, can you tell her to stop?"

"Perfect! Dinner's on the table!"

Yuuki, Asraella, and the Chairman were seated around a medium-sized table, each to a side. There were four place settings, and the empty chair glared at them. With the food on the table, they were all waiting for one person—Zero. A minute ticked by, and then two. The Chairman and Yuuki were engrossed in a conversation, and Asraella just watched the scenery outside the windows. Finally she got fed up with Zero's game. She pushed back her chair and rose to her feet, completely unnoticed by the other two people present, and left the kitchen/dining room. She walked down a hallway that led farther into the depths of the house, until she saw a light emanating from underneath a door to her left. She approached it slowly, moving almost silently except for the soft swish of fabric rubbing against itself and the muffled scuff of her ballet flats against the short carpet. She stopped outside the door and simply looked at it. Taking a deep breath, she laid a hand against the wood doorframe.

"Zero, we're waiting for you." Her voice was barely a whisper; something inside her knew that he was here to avoid the noise and commotion of the Chairman and his…exuberance. She'd be here, too, if she was in his shoes.

The door opened slowly, and Asraella looked up to come face-to-face with deep violet eyes and mussed silver hair. Zero was wearing a white long-sleeved collared shirt and loose black jeans, with just socks on his feet. Asraella's hand fell from the doorframe and she took a small step back. He was standing very close to her, making his height stand out. She was taller than many of the girls at Cross Academy, but Zero still bested her by a good five inches.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting." His face hadn't changed from its normal carved-from-stone state, but Zero seemed relaxed. Asraella read it in the slope of his shoulders, his posture, the slight tilt of his head. She stepped back further and to the side, giving him a small smile.

"Come on, before they eat everything themselves."

Zero proceeded by her, and Asraella followed him to the table, watching the way Zero walked, and observing the angle at which his torso met his slim hips. Realizing where that was going, she dragged her eyes away from him as she returned to her place at the table, directly across from Zero. She shook her head slightly, hoping to disperse the images that were presenting themselves to her. _Dammit! Why am I thinking that way! Stop it, Asraella! Head out of the gutter!_ Without much ceremony, dinner commenced, punctuated mostly by Yuuki and Chairman Cross's conversation, with one word answers from Zero and Asraella as they were dragged into the discussion.

After the meal, Chairman Cross drove the three teens out of the kitchen, and Yuuki led the way to the small living room. The main feature of the space was the relatively large coffee table in the center, with a chess board prominently positioned on it. By the board rested a worn deck of cards, the box tattered and barely holding together. Yuuki did not stop at the table, however. She went right past it to the television, pulling a box out from under the stand it rested on and going through it.

"Asraella, Zero, let's watch a movie!"

Asraella sighed. She wasn't a huge fan of movies, in general. She enjoyed very few. But to appease Yuuki, she nodded. Zero was being his stoic self, and gave no answer.

"Awesome! We're going to watch this one!" She held up the DVD case, and Asraella barely bit back a groan. It was a chick flick; a silly romantic comedy, no less. _This is going to be torture!_ She wasn't given time to complain about it, though. As soon as Yuuki had the movie picked out, she shoved both Zero and Asraella down onto the large couch and flicked off the lights. In less than a minute, the opening menu was bathing the dark room in dim light and Yuuki was seated between Zero and her. _Great. I can't escape now._

After almost an hour and a half of silly misunderstandings, trivial arguments, and more mush than a jar of applesauce, Asraella was struggling not to scream. Well, perhaps not scream. She was trying not to get up and leave, though. _If it wouldn't be extremely rude, I'd be running as far from here as physically possible._ Instead, she kept trying to tune the movie out, and was as unsuccessful as she had been since it started. After a few minutes, the fated couple finally got together, and credits started scrolling down the screen. Asraella looked at Yuuki, who was sitting next to her. The small brunette wasn't moving, and had her head leaned against Zero's shoulder. Zero was still as well, and he had his head tilted back, with eyes closed. _They're both…asleep? And I sat through that movie, too!_ To be honest, she wasn't upset, and she recognized that this situation could have been funny…if she hadn't been involved. Tired of hearing the movie's less-than-impressive soundtrack, she slowly got up from the couch and proceeded quietly over to the television, meaning to turn both the DVD player and the TV off. She managed to turn off the television, but she was having trouble with the DVD player. _I pressed stop, and then eject, so the DVD should come out…I could do this at home, so why isn't it working now? Damn player is so—_

"It's broken. Just turn it off, and then pull on the disk tray. It'll open right up." Zero's whisper startled Asraella, and she jumped like she'd been bit. _Damn him! At least now I know that it's not my lack of skills making this difficult._ She followed Zero's instructions, and soon the DVD was safely in its case. She turned to the couch with movie in hand to see Zero extricating himself from the couch and Yuuki. He approached her, and took the case out of her hands.

"I'll put this away."

Now devoid of a purpose, Asraella moved out of Zero's way and back towards the couch and coffee table. Her gaze fell on the chess set. _It's been ages since I last played._

"Zero, do you play chess?"

"No." His tone was biting, and Asraella faced him, surprised by how…angry…he sounded. He did not look at her, but was staring at the chess set. She saw his features twist into something like a grimace, and Asraella was sorry for asking. She turned away from him.

"I'm sorry. It's none of my business." She turned her attention to the deck of cards. She reached forward and grasped them, sliding off the old box and running the thick paper cards between her fingers. They were well used; the waxy coating on the paper had almost rubbed away, and the edges had dulled slightly. They handled well, and did not stick together as Asraella cut the deck several times. It had been taken care of, as well. There was not one stain or fold, or a torn edge, on any card. _Who plays with these? These seem to be strange games to have lying about on a coffee table._ She heard a soft click as the cabinet shut behind her and glanced up, to find Zero looking at her. His expression was indecipherable, and Asraella felt compelled to break the silence.

"Do you play BS?"

"What is it?" She shrugged off his monotone.

"A card game. Do you want to play?"

"Sure." With that, Zero walked out past Asraella back to the kitchen. As she followed, Asraella was mentally kicking herself. _Where did that come from? Why did I ask about BS, of all games? Now I'm going to have to explain it to him…what possessed me to ask Zero to play a game? And why did he say yes? That's so not his style. Damn. Better get this over with._ They reached the kitchen and sat down at the table, across from one another. Asraella cleared her throat slightly and started to explain the game, and Zero seemed almost to be listening.

"Okay. This will be a little unwieldy because there are just two of us, but it'll work out alright. The entire deck gets dealt, and then we start to place cards face-down in a discard pile. The goal is to empty your hand, so this is where 'BS' comes in. We start by placing cards in the discard pile moving up in value: Aces, twos, threes, and so on. If you don't have a card of that value, you still have to put a card down. In that case, you would put a card face down and announce it as the card or cards you need, but in reality it's a fake. If the other person thinks that you're bluffing, they call 'bull' or 'BS'. In the situation that you really were bluffing, then you have to take all the cards in the pile and add them to your hand. If you were telling the truth, then the other person does. Got it?"

"Hn." _Well, I'm glad we're clear. Could you have been more explicit in your answer, Zero?_

Asraella still had the cards in her hands, and so she began to shuffle them, the rhythmic tapping and sliding of cards donating a soft backdrop to the silence between her and Zero. Once the deck was shuffled, she quickly dealt two hands, and passed one across the table. She watched with a strange sort of fascination as Zero's thin, pale fingers dug underneath the small pile of cards and lifted them from the table, spreading them between his hands as he surveyed his cards. Forcibly changing her thought patterns, Asraella also picked up her hand and quickly evaluated what she had to work with. _This is a decent hand. I've got a nice spread here._ She decided to take advantage of the opportunity to get ahead of Zero.

"I'll go first. Two Aces." She actually had two Aces, and so felt secure as she put the two cards facedown on the table. She observed Zero as he glanced at the cards and quickly drew three cards out of his own hand.

"Three twos."

Asraella quickly checked, and she had one two. He wasn't lying. _The secret to playing this game with only two people is how to keep track of what's been played after several rounds. Has he realized that yet?_ She selected her next cards, satisfied that she didn't have to bluff—yet.

They played for several minutes, saying nothing but the cards they were placing facedown and the occasional "BS". Asraella decided to break the monotony.

"Four threes. Is Yuuki staying here over break?" A moment's hesitation followed her question.

"Yes. She's staying here with the Chairman. Two fours."

"Three fives. Are you staying here as well, Zero?"

"Two sixes. No. I'm in the Sun dorm. Does BS stand for what I think it does?"

Asraella was thrown when Zero questioned her back. She had been expecting to have to keep talking in order to maintain something along the lines of a conversation, but Zero was…participating. _Wow._ She considered his question, and blushed slightly at the answer she'd have to give.

"Um…actually…it's…" Asraella sighed. "Bullshit. Three sevens. Is that what you thought it stood for?" Zero's lips turned up slightly at her answer and Asraella could only stare. _What's he smiling about? And wow, his face totally changes when he shows some emotion._ She didn't want to think it, but Asraella couldn't deny that Zero was reasonably good looking on an everyday basis, and with that little half-grin thing on his face, he only looked better. Asraella shook her head a little and concentrated on the game. Her efforts were ruined when Zero continued the back-and-forth questioning.

"Yes, it is, actually. Two eights. Why did you come over for dinner?"

For the second time in as many minutes Asraella was left gaping. She decided that instead of thinking too much about it, she would just see where this new verbosity was going.

"Yuuki asked me to. And strange as it seems, I was a little lonely in the dorm by myself all day. One nine. Why do you hate chess?"

Zero looked down at his cards and didn't answer, the silence between them becoming almost palpable. Asraella waited expectantly, kind of anticipating some sort of outburst, if his earlier reaction was any guide. She didn't know why she asked that question, but was now regretting it. It had just popped into her head, and currently was paying for not thinking before talking.

"Two tens."

No outburst, no glare, just a monotone announcement. Asraella could have started swearing, if she was in different company. She had shut him down, and made him withdraw again. _And it was just getting interesting!_ Well, it was her own fault. She continued the game. "Three Jacks."

"Two Queens." This was killing her! _Now it's all uncomfortable. I've got to try and correct this._

"Four Kings. I'm sorry, again. I shouldn't have asked. You seemed upset before, and I was an idiot and brought up the subject once more. I should have learned."

"Hn. I don't like chess; you don't want to go home. Four Aces." Zero reached forward to put down his cards, and when they were on top of the discard pile, he didn't remove his hand. Asraella didn't notice as she selected her next cards, still pondering his answer, and only realized what he was doing when her fingers landed on the back of his hand. She withdrew quickly, her face turning a light shade of pink. She raised her eyes to Zero's face and was quickly caught in his penetrating gaze. His eyes were glazed with some sort of emotion, and if Asraella had to guess, it would be pain. _What's going on?_ As Zero spoke, she never looked away.

"Do you know how dangerous it is to cut here? Do you know what it does to the people around you, especially your friends who end up worrying?"

_Where the HELL did this come from? Why is he asking me these questions? "Dangerous"?_ "Why are you saying these things to me, Zero? What prompted this sudden concern?" She couldn't keep the defensive tone out of her voice. What business was this of his? Was he worried for her? A moment went by as Zero was silent.

"Yuuki told me she was worried about you. You shouldn't make her worry. Do you mean to keep your promise to not cut anymore?"

Asraella looked down to avoid the violet orbs that now had become almost accusing. She could act up a storm, but this was no act, and she couldn't stare someone down and purposefully lie while doing it.

"Yes. I mean to." She tried to move on, and so went to put her cards down next to Zero's hand. "Four twos".

Zero grabbed her sleeve as she was pulling back, and Asraella froze. She almost stopped breathing as Zero caught her chin with his other hand and forced her to look at him.

"Bullshit." _Dammit, dammit, dammit!_

A mumble came from behind Zero, and they broke away from each other, Zero letting go of Asraella, and Asraella sitting as far back in her chair as she could go. The mumble turned out to be Yuuki, who was dragging herself off the couch and towards the kitchen. She entered the room, totally oblivious to the scene she almost walked in on, and came over to the table.

"Hmm. Are you guys playing a game?"

Asraella remained silent and Zero answered. "No. We just finished."

"Aw man. Who won?"

Asraella just looked at Zero, and he ignored her attention. He didn't sound satisfied when he responded. "I did."

"Cool. Anyway—"A large yawn interrupted Yuuki's statement, and Asraella smiled at her as a parent would to a small child. It was late, but it wasn't that late!

"Anyway, I think I'm going to go to bed. Zero, be nice and make sure that Asraella gets back to her room, okay?" She waited for Zero's slow nod, and then proceeded to her room after wishing both of them good night. Asraella avoided Zero's eyes as she turned to face him.

"I'm going to head back to the Sun dorm. You don't have to make sure I get there; I can get back just fine." With that, Asraella walked toward the front door, snatching her coat on the way. As she stepped out into the cold night, she turned to shut the door and found Zero's hand holding it open, as he came out with her.

_Why is he coming outside too?_ Asraella was puzzled, but then it clicked. _Oh right. He's staying in the dorms, too._ Satisfied with this knowledge, she started walking back to her room. After a few feet, she sensed Zero beside her, but she didn't say anything. What was there to talk about? Asraella wanted to ignore him. She wanted to forget the whole card game fiasco, wipe the movie from her mind, and pretend that she popped popcorn in her room for dinner while reading ahead in one of her textbooks.

But she couldn't.

Why had she acted the way she did? Why did he actually entertain her whims and questions? Zero walked almost silently a few feet from her, and even out of her peripheral vision she could see that although he walked casually with a hand in his pocket and slouched, he moved with a grace that belied his stance. He had realized that she was lying to him about stopping her "habit", and he seemed almost…upset. But what did it have to do with him? He seemed so cold and totally reserved, but Asraella had seen another side of the prefect, just in flashes here and there: the moment in the Chairman's office, and when she lied to him. Asraella knew that there was always more to an individual than meets the eye, knowledge made even clearer given her history, but what was Zero's back story? _There must be so much that the world doesn't know._

After a few minutes of silent walking, they found themselves in front of the Sun Dorm. Zero reached the door before Asraella and opened the door for her, standing aside so she could enter first. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, and so slid past him, articulating a soft "thank you" before turning down the hallway that lead to her stairwell. In the sound-dampening enclosed walls of the old hallway, she didn't notice Zero's soft footfalls on the carpet behind her, and only became aware of his presence when she stopped in front of the window at the foot of the stairs, appreciating her favorite view when there was no light to bounce off the leaves of the trees or birds to add a soundtrack to its beauty. It had a barren sort of surrealism, and Asraella stood there for a little longer than she planned for. When Zero came up beside her, she was startled, and stared at Zero for a second. _Holy shit. Where did he come from?_

"What are you doing, Zero?"

"Making sure you get back to your room." _I really don't need your help, thanks. I think I've embarrassed myself enough already!_

"Well, as I'm sure you're aware, my room is just down the hall from the stairs, so I think I can get there myself." Asraella turned to go up the stairs, but she had only climbed a few steps when a thought occurred to her.

"Zero, why is it…" She didn't want to say the words. She didn't want to make them a tangible thing. She would be admitting that she had a problem, and Asraella couldn't—no, wouldn't—do that. "Why is it dangerous…to do what I'm doing? Besides the obvious, that is?"

Zero looked at her as though she was an idiot. "At a school infested with vampires it's not the best thing to smell like blood all the time."

_Oh._

Well, that would explain it. Asraella wondered at her apparent stupidity. _Really, why didn't I realize that before? Right. Because a week ago vampires didn't exist. _ The thought of vampires, their eyes red, implanted itself firmly in her mind and she shivered. Without a word to Zero, she started climbing the stairs and didn't even hesitate until she reached her room and locked the door behind her.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope this chapter was up to snuff. After so long with not writing, it was surprisingly difficult to get back into the swing of things. If you feel lead to, please review! Thanks! TTFN, Slomiti Andeo


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